Water
by Harikiya
Summary: "I wonder what it would be like to kiss someone who had jagged, shark-like teeth." ShisuixOC, 100 Theme Challenge
1. Introduction

Author's note: I have a horrible habit of starting new things before finishing old ones, but I've been in such funk that everytime I try to write something, I just end up staring at the screen for hours. Instead of writing a multi-chapter story or a long oneshot, I am forcing myself to limit each chapter to a maximum of 1,000 words. I was inspired by Criala's drabbles about Shisui and am using the same version of the 100 Theme Challenge she is using. ShisuixOC drabble with the OC from Kirigakure, I'll try my best to correlate each chapter but no promises. Non-massacure, Shisui is 17 years old and Manami is 15 years old. Hopefully, this will get the creative juices flowing! Please enjoy and review!

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto. I own Manami Terumi.

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1\. Introduction

The Third Hokage blew out a puff of smoke from his pipe as he carefully scrutinized the Mist kunoichi in front of him. Beside him, Ibiki Morino and Inoichi Yamanaka glared disapprovingly at the young girl, both considered this meeting a complete waste of time.

The Mist kunoichi kept her head bowed as she waited for Lord Hokage's response. Though it was clear Morino and Yamanaka distrusted the Mist, Manami Terumi knew the Hokage was seriously considering her aunt's proposal despite the Mist's previous bloody and strained relationship with the Leaf.

After a few more minutes, Lord Hokage cleared his head, causing Manami to raise her head in anticipation.

"So, the Fourth Mizukage's bloody reign is finally over, I see." Lord Hokage spoke in his raspy voice.

Manami bowed her head and responded, "Yes, the assassination attempt executed by Kirigakure's elite ANBU and jonin squad was a success. His successor is Mei Terumi, who along with the majority of Mist shinobi and civilians are determined to do whatever it takes to move forward from the Bloody Mist era."

The next person who spoke up was not the Hokage but the head of Konoha's Torture and Interrogation Unit, Ibiki Morino. "So, now that the previous Mizukage is dead, you expect everyone is forget about the bloody, despotic reign of terror and death he created?"

Manami continued staring at the hardwood floor, she had been expecting this, "Of course not. The Mist fully takes responsibility for its previous actions and will utilize every resource we have to atone for our mistakes. We know it will take time for other villages to trust us, and Kirigakure is undergoing internal reforms as we speak, but I hope as the Mist begins to heal itself, it can also heal relations with others as well." She responded.

Silence followed her response and Manami steeled herself, preparing for an intense interrogation. However she was caught off guard by the Hokage's next question, "The new Mizukage, she is your aunt, is she not?"

"Yes, she is." Manami responded even though she knew the Hokage was already of that.

He let out a long sigh before responding, "Very well. As the Third Hokage I accept the Fifth Mizukage's request to form an alliance between the Leaf and the Mist village. However, according to your report, it seems your village is still in the process of reorganizing and rewriting its policies, so I will hold off any military intervention until the Mist is stable."

Manami was surprised he had agreed so easily but she knew his response was more than generous. It was true that certain areas in the Hidden Mist remained volatile and unstable, so it was understandable that he would hesitate to send his own shinobi there. Thankfully, the Mist possessed many capable shinobi that had already been dispatched to handle the dissenters in those areas.

She bowed her head lower to express her gratitude, "Thank you so much, Lord Hokage. On behalf of the Fifth Mizukage, and the people of the Hidden Mist, I cannot put into words how much this opportunity to clear our name and rebuild our reputation means to us." She spoke with great sincerity. When she first arrived in the village, she was certain the Hokage would reject her aunt's request but as the hours ticked by, she allowed herself a tiny sliver of hope that he would accept despite Kirigakure's bloody history.

Lord Hokage nodded in response, but Manami could see the looks of distrust and suspicion plastered on Ibiki Morino and Inoichi Yamanaka faces. Manami suppressed a sigh, she could only hope that with time, the Mist would be able to gain their trust.

Lord Hokage cleared his throat, "That settles the matter at hand. Now, will you need a place to stay for the night?"

Startled, she was suddenly aware that she had spend the better part of the day pleading with the Hokage for an alliance with the Mist. However, what really shocked Mariko was the Hokage's generosity, and she was very touched that he would allow her to spend a night in his village despite many considering her to be a threat. It only deepened her conviction that Lord Hokage was serious about improving relations with the Mist and she made it her person mission to ensure his kindness would not go unrepaid.

However, she knew she would have to report back to her aunt as soon as possible and it was a long way back to Kirigakure. Bowing her head in gratitude she responded, "Thank you for the offer Lord Hokage, but I must report back to Lady Mizukage."

Lord Hokage nodded, "I see then. I look forward to further improving the relationship between our two villages. Please allow one of my shinobi to escort you to the village gates, Shisui!"

In less than a second, a young man about a few years older than her appeared, dressed in a standard Leaf shinobi uniform. Immediately, Manami knew he was an Uchiha, more specifically the Uchiha that had scared off Ao and his team during the Bloody Mist era. So this is Shisui of the Body Flicker, she thought as she stared at the man with red eyes. The infamous Sharingan, she noted.

With one final nod from the Hokage, Manami bowed one last time before turning to follow the Uchiha out of the Hokage's office.

As the duo walked out the building and through the streets of Konoha, Manami noticed how alive the village was. The streets were overflowing with people smiling, talking, laughing. Kids chasing each other, others sitting on the grass, some finishing up training, and others were out shopping. Seeing such a lively atmosphere brought warmth to Manami and further intensified her resolve to improve the Hidden Mist so that one day, future generations could be as happy as the people in the Leaf appeared to be.

As Manami took in her surroundings, she almost forgot about the Uchiha walking by her side until he spoke up, "I wonder what it would be like to kiss someone who had jagged, shark-like teeth."

The comment was so random that Manami nearly tripped over her own feet, which caused Shisui to let out a loud laugh. Manami felt her eyes widen, he was not what she expected and certainly nothing like the other Uchihas she had previously encountered.

Still frozen, Manami could only mutter a quiet, "What?"

Seeing her state of shock, Shisui flashed her an easy lopsided grin before motioning her to keep walking. After a couple feet, Shisui said in an easy going tone, "It's just Kirigakure is home to the infamous Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist right? Well, don't all the members have jagged, shark-like teeth?" Shisui questioned, "I imagine they must like or have significant others, which means kissing would be involved. Though how it feels is completely beyond my knowledge." He finished, crossing his arms with a thoughtful look on his face.

Manami gaped at the Uchiha next to her, before recovering her senses, "To be honest, I've never really thought of that but now that our villages are allies, I could ask one of the Swordsmen to come and you could experience it for yourself." She offered with a teasing glint in her eyes.

At that comment it was Shisui's turned to freeze, color completely draining from his face as he hastily responded, "No no no. It was just a thought I swear. I'll do anything but that." He said with a horror filled expression while frantically waving his arms around to emphasize his point.

Manami let out a soft laugh at the sight of the almighty Uchiha in a state of distress, before gently putting a hand on his shoulder, "Relax, I was just kidding." She said before coming to a stop. They had arrived at the village gates.

Shisui let out a massive sigh of relief, muttering an unconvincing, "Yeah I knew that." Which earned him another chuckle from the Mist ninja.

Manami was alarmed at how comfortable she felt with Shisui, and knew she could keep talking to him all day but she had to report back to her aunt. The sky was turning dark and she could begin to see the first stars appear. Around them, street lights flickered on, illuminating the village streets. Turning towards him, she said "Thank you for walking me to the village gates, I hope you find the answer to your shark kissing question."

Shisui gave her another one of his effortless grins, and said "Actually, maybe it's best if I don't know."

She nodded in agreement before giving him a final wave, preparing for the long journey home when his voice stopped her. Standing before, his face softly illuminated by the street lights, he spoke, all sense of humor gone from his voice, "I know this is a bit random, but I just want you to know that I think this forming alliance between the Mist and the Leaf is a good step for both villages and will positively impact both villages. I know it sounds strange, but I'm glad that the Fourth Mizukage is dead, for both our villages sake."

She smiled softly, "Thank you, truly. I know a lot of people in the Leaf are opposed to this alliance and for good reason, but it gives me a great sense of hope that there are people willing to out the past behind them for the sake of the future. Thank you for supporting this Mist's reform."

Exchanging one last look with Shisui, she turned and disappeared into the dense trees, heading full speed towards the Mist.

Shisui stood at the gates until he could no longer sense her chakra, before turning to walk back to the Uchiha district.

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Author's note: Okay so this was more than a thousand words, but it was meant to set the scene in a way. I've linked the version of the challenge I am using in my profile if anyone is interested. Please let me know what you think of the story by reviewing!


	2. Love

Author's note: Huge thanks to those who reviewed, favorited, and followed the story! It made my day! This chapter is shorter than the last, I'm trying to stick to the 1,000 word limit but we all know how that went last time. Hint: By the chapter title, prepare for some Shisui and Manami moments! Please review, favorite, and follow! Enjoy!

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto. I own Manami Terumi.

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2\. Love

Shisui loved the Leaf village, loved it more than he could ever put into words. Hell, he probably loved it more than his _bed_ , now _that_ was saying something. However, Shisui found he loved Konoha more particularly during the first week of the following months: April, August, and December.

Shisui never told anyone the reason why he especially loved those three weeks in the year. In fact, he kept the reasoning so secret that he was convinced it was a better kept secret than the location of the Third Hokage's signed _Icha Icha Paradise_ book collection. Unfortunately for both Shisui and Lord Third, both of the top secret secrets were not so secret afterall. The only difference being that Shisui didn't have a team of ANBU guarding the location of his secret.

Nonetheless, at the start of every April, August, and December, Shisui found his ANBU mission assignment list greatly decreased, giving him more free time on his hands to do other things… with other people… who might be from another village… Hidden in the Mist. Though everyone knew who Shisui would be spending _all_ his free time with during those days, he still claimed he had different things planned… just with the same person.

That was exactly how Shisui Uchiha found himself waiting anxiously at the village gates early one December morning. He was wrapped up in a thick black coat with the Uchiha clan insignia on the back along with a pair of black pants and his usual ninja shoes.

After a couple of minutes, a figure appeared in the distance, steadily becoming larger as she approached. As she approached, Shisui gave a full on grin as he enthusiastically lifted both of his arms to wave hello. Manami giggled softly as she approached, she thought Shisui looked like a crow attempting to fly, since he was dressed all in black and was moving his arms eccentrically. She offered her own wave, though much more subdued than his hands in greeting.

Manami was wrapped in black cloth that had Kirigakure symbol on the back. She also more black ninja gloves along with knee high black boots.

"Shisui! How have you been?" Manami asked, happy to see her friend again. It had been almost an entire year since she had first stepped foot into the Leaf village, carry a request from her aunt, the Fifth Mizukage, to form an alliance with the Leaf. Manami had been terrified as she awaited the Hokage's response, but was delighted when he agreed. During that time, it was also when she met Shisui Uchiha, someone she could now call her close friend. Both village leaders decided that Manami would travel to the Leaf at the beginning of the first week every four months to give the Hokage status reports on the Mist's reformation along with increasing the bond between the two villages.

Without fail, ever since Shisui had walked Manami to the gates to leave the first night, on the first week of every fourth month, he would be waiting at the gates for her to arrive. He would take her to the Hokage's office so she could submit her report, thankfully the Mist's reforms were going smoothly, and after he would take her to a new spot to Konoha.

"Me? I've been good, same old same old. Missions, training, the usual." Shisui responded crossing his arms behind his head. "How about you?"

Manami grinned at his laid back behavior, she had missed his easy-going personality, "I've been pretty much doing the same things. My main focus had been helping Aunt Mei reestablish the ninja academy. Though, it most likely won't reopen until next Spring."

Shisui nodded approvingly, he had heard many terrible stories about the Mist's former ninja academy. The graduation test forced students to kill each other, so only one would be able to become a Mist shinobi. Shisui thought there was nothing worse than having to kill your own comrades, and especially at such a young age. He was relieved that things were changing and knew that Manami would be the best person for the job.

As the neared the Hokage's office, Shisui turned to her and told her to meet him at their usual place by the lake when she was done. She agreed and the two went their separate ways.

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As Manami left the Hokage's office a few hours later, the snow had just begun falling, several flakes landing on her shoulder length dark auburn hair.

Walking towards the lake, she saw Shisui sitting on the frozen ground, snowflakes covering his messing short dark hair.

"I'll be surprised if your butt isn't frozen by now." She commented, causing him to turn his head in her direction.

He grinned as he patted the spot next to him, Manami looked at the spot with obvious distaste but sat down nonetheless. Wincing as the cold permetrated her skin, she said "Tell again why you wanted to meet out here instead of somewhere warm inside? We'll both catch a cold at this rate."

Shisui continued grinning before handing her a tumblr of hot tea, then turned his attention back to the lake. Though it was winter, only the top the lake was frozen. Already, tiny snowflakes were forming a thin white layer on top of the ice.

He let out a quiet breath, white smoke leaving his lips as he turned to her with an expression she wouldn't name on his face, "I don't know, guess I just didn't want to break tradition. Besides look at how beautiful everything looks, I know most people think of winter as bleak and lifeless but I can't help think it looks beautiful." He said softly.

Manamai took in her surroundings, slowly but surely everything was being encompassed in a blanket of snow but she understood his perspective. There was a certain beauty in the pale colors winter brought with it, a beauty not many understood.

The two shinobi sat on the frozen ground, exhaling wisps of white smoke and taking sips of their tea in perfect silence. Somehow, as the snow began covering everything around them, Shisui's large hand covered Manami's smaller one, with her head resting on his shoulder.

They stayed like that until every body part expect their connected hands become numb. Reluctantly, Manami pulled away from Shisui and rose to her feet, nudging him up as well. The pair brushed the snow off their bodies, but Shisui reached for her hand once they were no longer covered in snow.

Together, the two ninja walked away from the lake, freshly fallen snow crunching beneath their feet. Suddenly Shisui froze, a look of horror painting his face. Manami rose and auburn eyebrow in question.

"Uh… I can't feel my butt anymore." He muttered, his face heating up in embarrassment.

Manami let out a laugh as she dragged him through the streets, trying to find somewhere to warm them up.

Hours later, long after Shisui and Manami had returned to their respective houses after spending the day together, Shisui would examine his right hand. There was nothing different about it, aside from the effects the cold weather had had on his skin, but it felt different. It was warmer that any other part of his body, and the sensation made his heart beat slightly faster.

A few blocks away from the Uchiha District, Manami was examining her right hand, feeling everything that Shisui had felt. Smiling to herself, she decided she had not minded sitting in the cold as long as Shisui was with ehr.

Later in the night, they both decided they loved being together.

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Author's note: So this chapter wasn't less than 1,000 words either, but I hope you enjoyed it! Please let me know what you think of the story by reviewing!


	3. Light

Author's note: Thank you to everyone who reviewed, favorited, and followed the story! I really appreciate it! This chapter and the next are going to be slightly different. The Leaf is seen as having kind shinobi while the Mist has a reputation for being ruthless, Bloody Mist. So this chapter will include more of Shisui/Leaf (Light) and the next will be Manami/Mist (Dark), instead of interactions between the two. Please review and let me know what you think! Enjoy!

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto. I own Manami Terumi.

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Light

Without a doubt, Konoha was the village filled with the most light out of the five great nations. It was a fact that Manami never failed to remind Shisui whenever she saw him, which was becoming increasingly common.

Shisui had always responded with a smile and a cheerful, "Of course! I'm here!" which caused Manami to playfully roll her eyes.

However, now as Shisui laid out on the grass with Manami hundreds of miles away from him, he carefully contemplated the meaning of her words.

Literally, the Leaf was filled with light. Though he made sure to differentiate between light and heat. If he was thinking about heat, Sunagakure would inevitably win that title. Though Shisui was sure heat was not what Manami was talking about.

As Shisui laid on his back staring at the clear blue sky, he deeply inhaled the crisp spring air. All around him, life exploded in the form of plants, animals, and people. Everyday, the Leaf was growing, improving, solidifying alliances with clans as well as other hidden villages.

Shisui also noted that there was a lot of light in the village, most days were sunny and bright, even during the colder months. A unique characteristic of his beloved village that Shisui knew Manami was not so secretly jealous of.

He certainly was thinking about her more than often today as he recalled a conversation they had the first time she returned since the alliance between the two villages was finalized.

" _You know, you're so lucky to be able to call this village your home." She had said, they were sitting on top of Hokage Mountain watching the sunset._

 _Shisui hummed in agreement, onyx eyes remained focused on the setting sun in front of them._

 _Manami turned to face him entirely, "I mean it Shisui. There's something about the Hidden Leaf village that is just so different from any of the other villages. Everything here is just so kind and warm and noble. You're dedication to your comrades is truly an amazing quality." She mumbled the last part quietly, undoubtedly thinking about her own village and how its morals belief sharply contrast his village's morals._

" _Being in Konoha," She barely spoke above a whisper now and Shisui had to lean closer to hear her clearly, "Only strengthens my determination to reform Kiri and restore it back its former glory, where all Mist shinobi will value their comrades like they once did before Lord Yagura's reign." She said with determination blazing in her eyes._

 _Shisui smiled softly at her, "You will. I know you can do it."_

Thinking back to that conversation, Shisui found himself smiling like a fool. So little time had passed since they had that conversation but the Fifth Mizukage, Manami, and the other Mist shinobi had made such progress that it was astounding. Staring up at the sky, he made a vow that as long as Manami worked hard to restore peace and light in Kirigakure, he would work just as hard to maintain peace and light in Konohagakure.

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Author's note: This was a hard chapter for me to write for some reason but it must be written. I know it might not be the best but I hope you like it. Sorry for the long wait, thank you for reading and please review!


	4. Dark

Author's note: REWRITTEN. Something about the first time I uploaded this chapter bothered me, so I had to rewrite it! I'm pretty happy with how it turned out and I want to give a huge thank to everyone who reviewed, favorited, and followed the story!

This chapter focuses more on Manami's perspective on her home, while referencing it to Shisui's instead of direction interactions between the two. Please review and enjoy!

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto. I own Manami Terumi.

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Dark

Ever since Manami was young, she often thought that the village Hidden in the Mist should be renamed the village Hidden in the Blood, after all, there was always so much of it, on the roof houses and doors, in the market, in the playground, it was everywhere.

When she entered the academy, the amount seemed to multiply. She started returning home with specks of blood on either her clothes or face, though she never paid any attention to those, a side effect of being born and raised in Kirigakure, she supposed. Things changed as time passed, and she began returning home from the academy with blood on her hands. Whenever that happened, Manami could perfectly recall to whoever asked what had transpired in perfect detail. It is important to note that she didn't like getting into fights with other students, but she disliked being picked on even more. At the ninja academy in Kirigakure, there was and will probably never be a shortage of students looking for a fight.

Though people rarely asked, they just looked at the young girl's hands, nodded and continued with their day. Manami knew it was another side effect of living in Kirigakure.

Despite the fact that people rarely _asked_ , Manami still sometimes told them, afterall she inherited her father's impressive memorization kill due to him being a medical ninja and she wasn't going to waste it.

Her father, for the most part, seemed unbothered by her daughters participation in school fights. He would simply heal her scrapes and bruises after school everyday with a kind, gentle look on his face that conveyed he knew his little girl would survive in the merciless shinobi world. That was the only thing that mattered to him, that she would survive. Manami couldn't remember a time when he would scold her for fighting, he only simply expected her to return home after every school day. Manami had always known that meant after the graduation ceremony too.

Manami had loved her father more than most Kiri children loved their parents and had not wanted to disappoint him.

So on the afternoon of the graduation ceremony, Manami proudly walked out of the doors for the final time proudly wearing a shiny, new headband with the insinga of the Hidden Mist engraved on it.

Her father would have been proud if he was still alive, but he had been dead for two years when she officially become a Hidden Mist shinobi.

The reports stated he met his end from a stray kunai and Manami wondered which side threw it.

Shortly after, she was ushered off to live with her dead mother's younger sister, Mei. She had only met her aunt a handful of times, and despite never knowing her mother, Manami knew right away, the sisters must have been polar opposites.

From what Manami had heard from the streets, her mother had possessed an insatiable bloodlust, and had tried to kill Manami when she was just an infant. She also heard that most of her father's patients were fellow Mist shinobi who were caught in her mother's blood driven rampages. In all honesty, Manami does not doubt the rumors that surround her bloodthirsty mother.

Her aunt could have been Manami's older sister. It often felt like she was looking at an older version of herself, the two kunoichi's sharing the same auburn, mahogany colored hair and dark emerald eyes. Their chakra natures were the similar as well as possessing the same two kekkei genkai. As a child, Aunt Mei was everything Manami wanted in a mother figure, she was kind, brave, and smart. But Manami was no longer an innocent child, she could protect herself, her fahter had made sure of that. _There are no princesses in Kirigakure, only warriors, and you must be the very best, my dear Manami,_ her father had often told her when he was putting her to bed, and every morning she woke up more determined than the last day to be the best.

To Aunt Mei's credit, she did try to assume a parent like position in the kunoichi's life, but she was a captain of one of Kirigakure's ANBU units, she had little time to bond with her niece.

Despite the rare times they spent together, Mei was able to ingrain into Manami the importance of mercy and kindness. _Blood can never wash away blood, you don't have to kill everyone,_ her aunt had told her after a mission, and those words echoed in her niece's ears for the rest of her life. More importantly, it stopped Manami from following in her mother's bloodthirsty footsteps, and created an unbreakable bond with her niece that was impossible to accomplish with her estranged older sister.

That bond was never more prominent than when Lord Yagura was overthrown and killed. Mei knew she could depend on her niece to secure the creation solid alliances with the other Great Nations.

Mei's faith in her niece was rewarded when Manami returned bearing the happy news that out of the other Five Great Nations, Konohagakure was the most willing to ally with Kirigakure despite its bloody past. During Manami's report, it did not go unnoticed by the older woman that as her niece spoke about Konoha's shinobi and civilians, emphasizing their dedication to one another, her features softened when she mentioned her time with a Leaf shinobi, Shisui Uchiha.

Both women pretend to ignore Ao barging into the office with a shocked expression while loudly exclaiming, "WHAT?! HIM?!" Before the blue haired hunter nin had quickly ducked to the floor to avoid a spew of lava from her aunt.

Aunt Mei had immediately agreed to the terms of the alliance and Manami found herself regularly visiting the Hidden Leaf village. Every time Manami returned, she brought with her stories about her time spent with Shisui, automatically beginning each tale with "No Aunt Mei, we're just friends and I'm not sneaking away if both you and the Hokage know about when I visit the Konoha," which earned her a disbelieving scoff from her aunt and a disgruntled look for Captain Ao, who was apparently still moping about his defeat by the Sharingan user.

To make matters worse, Manami had a feeling everyone in Kirigakure was placing bets on when she would take the Uchiha back to visit which was _not going to happen, Aunt Mei_ which earned her a disappointed sigh, but it was nothing compared to the sigh her aunt released when she told her, she would not under any circumstances ask Shisui if he had any relatives or friends who were "hotter than a fireball jutsu."

Manami bit back a laugh every time Aunt Mei would sulk about having an "unhelpful niece." She was sure her aunt would find someone someday, and maybe she would even help, but right now Manami's only goal was to bring the people of the Hidden Mist and it's name out of the dark.

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Author's note: In this chapter, I wanted to emphasize that Manami isn't scared to hurt other people if it meant defending herself and she can be quite ruthless too! This is the introduction to her background and the stuff in this chapter will appear in future ones! I have some questions for you guys: How do you think her mom died? Why did her father love someone so cruel? Will Mei ever find love? Let me know what you think of both the story and my questions! Please review!


	5. Seeking Solace

Author's note: Hi guys! Thank you so so much to everyone who reviewed, favorited, and followed the story! It meant a lot to me!

 **IMPORTANT: Please read the author's note at the end which contains information about future updates about this story!**

I hope you enjoy this chapter and please review!

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto. I own Manami Terumi.

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Seeking Solace

Manami bit back a curse. Recently it seemed like all the progress Kirigakure had made was falling apart right in front of her very eyes.

Rogue nins were popping up everywhere, either former Mist ninja or ninja from other nations. The good news was a large majority of the rogue ninjas were inexperienced, overconfident fools that could be defeated easily. Unfortunately, there was an large, well planned attack on the ninja academy two weeks ago hat resulted in a high death toll, most of the victims being young academy students. Due to this, Kirigakure's shinobi numbers decreased and its morale took a huge hit.

The attack shouldn't have surprised Manami, who had witnessed bloodier attacks during Lord Yagura's reign but it didn't get any easier to see other ninja (she outright refuses to call them Mist shinobi) attempt to undo the tentative peace Kirigakure had.

Due to the great loss of shinobi, the remaining ninjas were spread thin, going on back to back missions without any recovery time.

Half of the high ranking shinobi were sent out missions to show other nations Kirigakure was still strong, while the other half stayed to defend the village. Genin were either sent on B or C-ranked missions or worked at the academy. While the academy students completed D-ranked missions weekly.

"One step forward, two steps back, but at least we're moving forwards," An advisor had stated when the topic of the recent attacks came up.

Another commented, "At least this is better than Lord Yagura's reign." Manami had to restrain herself from lunging at him, how dare he compare her aunt to that vile man's bloody reign.

The advisors are merciless, stuck in the past where there is so much bloodshed that people died quicker than others were able to bury them. _War_ , they echo, _is still around us_. _We were born with bloody hands and we'll die with bloody hands,_ they shout silently.

Manami would shout back at them, she wants to tell them to either support the changes or get out of the village but she bites her tongue everytime she sees the look on her aunt's face. In all the time she has known Aunt Mei, Manami never remembered her looking so exhausted, so drained that it looks like she is using all her energy to sit and listen to the advisors. Reform has been harder than originally anticipated and between the attack on the academy and the doubtful advisors, the civilians are starting to doubt peace can be an achievable thing for their village.

 _This is not peace, this is foolishness_ , faceless shadows whisper on the streets and Manami finds herself walking faster.

Later that day, she spotted Ao leaving the conference room and ran to catch up to him. "We're at a stand still. It's clear we're not advancing quickly enough, if these recent attacks are anything to go by." Ao said, looking far older than she had remembered seeing him this morning.

"I agree, but there's not much we can do." Manami sighed. "We just have to keep chipping away at the enemy numbers, both within and outside our borders. I suggest we send more ANBU out to deal with rogues and other criminals along with any available jonin, while the chunin guard the border. We need to train more ninja in medical ninjutsu, even if it's just the basics. That should minimize out losses, even just a little."

Ao ponders her suggestion for a moment before agreeing, "I'll bring it up with Lady Mizukage later."

* * *

"Manami-chan, you need to rest." She wonders if she looks just as tired as Aunt Mei sounds.

"Aunt Mei, I'm fine. We're low on shinobi as it is, I need to be out there to ensure Kirigakure's economy does not collapse. We need to continue working, it will show our clients and other nations that the will of Mist shinobi won't be broken easily." Manami responds and pretends that it doesn't take more effort than usual to sound strong.

Her aunt sighs from her desk where mountains of paperwork are piled on top of and Manami has the urge to send her aunt home to rest despite knowing it is impossible. There is no time to rest when Kirigakure is falling back into the darkness.

"It is times like this that show how deep our love for our village run." A quiet, shaky voice speaks out causing both niece and aunt to turn to the source of the sound.

The Hidden Mist village elder is a kind, quiet, gentle man who has been hailed as one of the most loyal shinobi of the Hidden Mist. He had seen Kirigakure at its glory and believed that it could achieve that state again.

"Reports from the medical core state that we are low on a herb that helps reduce fever but only grows near the Land of Fire's border. While you are a skilled assassin, you must know there are ways to bring light though this mist other than getting your hands dirty." He mumbles quietly but easily commands the attention of the Mizukage and the ANBU captain.

"Yes sir, I'll head to the Land of Fire's border right away." Manami says, bowing to the elder and then her aunt before disappearing in a flash.

* * *

Uchiha Shisui was tired and annoyed, but mostly annoyed.

The Uchiha clan was beginning to feel neglected by the village causing tensions to rise and it was all because of a group of young, ignorant, unexperienced, overconfident, conceited of kids. After a failed mission, their injured egos immediately blamed it on the village higher ups, claiming that the _Hokage_ of all people had assigned them the mission with the intention of secretly sabotaging them so they would fail.

First of all, why would the _Hokage_ , leader of the Hidden Leaf village, sabotage a mission he assigns to Leaf shinobi? Not only would it reflect badly on the Leaf's reputation, but it would greatly harm the village's economy and population. Seeing that it was the Hokage's job to protect the village, it was highly doubtful that he would do such a thing.

Shisui sighs for the hundredth time since the incident. Of course, the brats ran and told Captain Fugaku, who was upset but surprisingly at the teens, not the Hokage.

"I don't care what the Hokage did or did not do, you are members of Uchiha clan, failing a mission unacceptable." Fugaku states firmly.

Despite the clan head's response, there were members of the Uchiha clan who, to Shisui's dismay, agreed with the teens after hearing the story of their "sabotaged" mission.

"They continue to disrespect the Uchiha name." Someone mutters.

"They are just jealous." Another states. Shisui snorts at that comment.

Despite the first failed mission, the Hokage assigns the Uchiha trio another mission as a way to redeem themselves. However, Shisui knows things will get much worse if they also fail this mission so he volunteers to go in their place.

Lord Hokage is surprised, "It is a three man mission, Shisui-san."

"I understand, Hokage-sama but I can handle it. I've been on worse missions before. Please trust me, I won't let you down." Shisui states and after a moment of contemplation, the Hokage nodes.

"Very well then. Good luck."

Shisui nods and heads home to pack. Predictably, the three idiots are waiting for him at the compounds gates, "That was our mission, Shisui-san. Just because you're older than us, doesn't mean you're better than us."

Shisui calmly lifts an eyebrow, "We're the same age and you're too arrogant."

The leader of the group growls and steps closer to Shisui, it would have be intimidating if the guy didn't look so stupid, "Why you-"

"Enough, Kaito. Shisui is right. More importantly, this will make up for the mission you three failed and put us in the Hokage's good graces." He states firmly, walking towards them with Itachi, "Go pack Shisui. Do not let the clan down."

Shisui bows noticing the amusement in Itachi's eyes and walks away. He hears Itachi say, "Why don't you three do some training." It is said with a mocking undertone and it tells Shisui that Itachi, who is always kind and polite to others, also dislikes Kaito and his friends.

* * *

"What a bunch of idiots!" Manami and Shisui exclaimed simultaneously.

It was an unplanned but enjoyable meeting. Manami had run into Shisui after retrieving the herbs, who was returning from his latest mission which he claimed was "classified" before proudly telling her how easy escorting a VIP was, causing Manami to facepalm before laughing when he raged on and on about the three idiots in his clan that failed a C-ranked mission and blamed it on the Hokage. Manami had never rolled her eyes harder when she heard.

In return, Manami had told Shisui her much, much darker situation, and concern had immediately took over Shisui's carefree expression.

"Everyone who cares about Kirigakure is working hard, but it was the academy they attack. The ninja academy of all places! All those kids who wanted to protect Kirigakure are dead!" Her voice cracks and Shisui places a comforting hand on her back, "Morale is worst than ever, their parents ran after the rogue ninja and you can guess what happened. The remaining shinobi are completing mission after mission, but it seems like we're falling behind."

"But many shinobi are loyal to Kirigakure and support your aunt's reformation attempts! I'm sure it will be fine, remember, the Hidden Leaf supports your aunt's efforts!" Shisui states, not likely the worried expression on her face.

She offers him a small smile. "Thank you Shisui-kun, I just hope it will be enough."

"It will be." Shisui states firmly and the determined expression on his face makes Manami believe him.

She gives him a bigger smile, "It's a good thing, Fugaku-sama didn't believe the kids, huh?"

Shisui scoffs, "Anyone with a brain would see how stupid their claim is. I still can't believe some members of the Uchiha clan that agree with those three idiots." He huffs again, crossing his arms across his chest, looking like a pouting child as Manami laughs softly.

"Everything may be falling apart, but that just means it gives us a chance to rebuild it stronger next time." She says, grabbing on his hand, and intertwines their fingers.

Shisui is momentarily taken by surprise but squeezes her hand back, "Yeah, we will."

As if a jutsu was casted on the pair, their worries faded away like stars at the first sunrise. Securely sheltered deep within the forest, all labels fell away as the two held each other. There was no Kirigakure and there was no Konohagakure. Manami was not the niece of the Fifth Mizukage, and Shisui was not a member of the legendary Uchiha clan.

They were simply a boy and a girl who found their solace in one another.

* * *

Author's note: Thank you so much for reading! I'm starting my second year of college soon so updates will be slow. Hopefully I can update this story twice a month, but college life can get crazy. Thank you for your understanding and support!


	6. Break Away

Author's note: Hi guys! Thank you so so much to everyone who reviewed, favorited, and followed the story! It meant a lot to me! This is probably one of my most favorite chapters I've written so far and I had a lot of fun writing it! I hope you enjoy this chapter and please review!

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto. I own Manami Terumi.

* * *

Break Away

Not many things surprised Uchiha Shisui.

He was an experienced shinobi. He learned to look underneath the underneath before he could walk. Which was why very little things surprised him.

However, Shisui realizes on a cool afternoon that a marriage proposal falls into the 'very little things' category.

It had happened the day after he returned from a mission in Sunagakure. The clan elders had summoned, no ambushed him, and bluntly told him it was time he got married. Shisui was sure that he was caught in some twisted genjutsu and tried multiple times to release the genjutsu, much to the elders annoyance.

"Enough! This is not a genjutsu, Shisui! This is the future of the Uchiha clan, take this seriously!" One had shouted at him. He bowed in apology but thought angrily, _So I don't get a say in my own future?_

Thankfully, Itachi somehow sensed his distress and henged one of his crow summons to look like the Hokage's messenger hawk. The elders scowled at the sight of the bird perched on the window sill but motioned for Shisui to leave. They knew they could not ignore the Hokage's summon. Shisui breathed a sigh of relief and bowed deeply to the elders before he turned and-

"He ran out of the room screaming." A calm, slightly amused voice finishes. Shisui let out a long groan as he looked up to see the amused face of Uchiha Itachi. Manami was in Konoha to give an update to the Hokage, which meant Shisui would be following her around like a lost puppy. Currently, the two were sitting in a dango shop, enjoying the cool afternoon as Manami listened in amusement as Shisui recounted his horrifying meeting with the village elders.

Itachi had been on his way home when he spotted someone in the standard Kirigakure shinobi uniform and immediately known she was the kunoichi Shisui couldn't stop talking about. Which meant Shisui would be with her, and Itachi figured it was time he met the girl his friend was so armoured with.

Though, right now Shisui didn't look too happy to see him, if his exaggerated frown was anything to go by. Shisui crossed his arms across his chest and said proudly, "Excuse me, Itachi. I did not scream, it was more of a dignified wail."

The girl next to him burst out laughing, "Dignified wail?" Causing Shisui to turn a color that perfectly matched the Uchiha's Sharingan. Before Itachi would introduce himself to the Kirigakure shinobi, someone shouted in their direction.

"Nii-san! Nii-san! There you are!"

All three heads turned to see a dark haired boy, around 7-8 years old run towards Itachi. He was in a high-collared dark shirt that all members of the Uchiha clan wore. He greeted Itachi excitedly, before turning and doing the same to Shisui, who gave him a small wave. It took him a few seconds before he noticed that the two Uchihas had company.

Sasuke blushed slightly when the auburn haired girl gave him a gentle smile, but realization suddenly flooded his features when he saw her uniform, "Excuse me miss, but are you that girl from Kirigakure that Shisui can't stop going on and on about?"

Manami laughed loudly before glancing at Shisui who looked like he wanted the ground to swallow him up. Itachi looked amused at his friend's embarrassment.

"Looks like it," She says, "I'm Terumi Manami."

Sasuke grinned, "I'm Uchiha Sasuke," He replied before turning to Shisui, "You were right Shisui, she is really pretty."

Shisui let out a sound the resembled some dying animal and buried his head in his hands. Itachi ignored the older Uchiha, giving Manami a polite smile as he introduced himself, "I'm Uchiha Itachi, Sasuke's older brother."

Manami smiled, "Nice to meet you both," then turned her attention to her mortified friend, "So, you've been talking about me to your fellow clansmen? What an honor."

Shisui seemed to snap out of his embarrassed state, grinning in a way that it must have hurt, and threw his arms behind his head saying, "Pfft, kids these days. I wasn't talking about you, I was talking about missions.

"Manami and missions don't sound a lot alike, Shisui." Itachi stated dryly.

"Okay! Itachi, why don't you and Sasuke go do some training together. Get in a little brother bonding time before your next mission?" Shisui suggested desperately. Both brothers looked extremely unconvinced, but Shisui was already turning away from them.

Giving Manami a very panicked smile, he blurted out, "Don't listen to them. They have hearing issues." Shisui said, whispering the 'hearing' part.

"Hey! That's not true!" A young voice defended and both shinobi turned to see the Uchiha brothers standing in the exact same spot.

Shisui jumped and exclaimed, "Itachi!? Sasuke?! What are you two still doing here?"

"We're going to help you get a date, Shisui-san! Right, nii-san?" Sasuke stated enthusiastically, looking at his brother for confirmation.

"Itachi!" Shisui shouted, looking betrayed.

"Well, you have been talking about her a lot, Shisui." Itachi defended but he gave Manami an apologetic look.

"What? I haven't been talking about Manami at all! I was talking about mangoes!" Shisui proclaimed and the other three looked at him like he grew another head.

"What is so important about mangoes that you always have to talk abou them to your fellow clansmen?" Manami asked.

The older of the two siblings looked unamused, "Shisui, you don't even like mangoes." Itachi deadpanned.

"That was when we were kids, Itachi! I'll have you know I don't hate the fruit anymore!" Shisui shouted, though he knew it was a lie.

Itachi sighed tiredly and Sasuke just looked confused. The silent was broken when Manami said, "Hey Shisui-kun, can you demonstrate for me what a dignified wail sounds like? Captain Ao might need it the next time he talks to my aunt."

* * *

"You can't marry her." Itachi said as he and Shisui watched the Hidden Mist kunoichi disappear into the horizon. Fugaku had spotted the brothers walking with Shisui and Manami to the village gates, and once Sasuke had asked if he would train with him, Fugaku agreed. Sasuke smiled excitedly and waved goodbye to the three older shinobi, before running after his father.

Manami bid her goodbye to the other Uchihas before telling Shisui she would bring him a basket of mangoes next time she visited, which caused him to rapidly confess his great dislike of the fruit, much to Manami and Itachi's amusement.

"Who said anything about marriage?" Shisui asked nonchalantly.

"If she was someone from the village, it might increase the chances of the clan elders agreeing to it, but she is from a different village. A village with a very bloody past and in addition, she is the niece of the current Mizukage. Marrying her is impossible." Itachi continues ignoring Shisui's comment. He knew his friend better than that.

"Most villages have bloody pasts." Shisui mutters weakly, "Besides, we're not even together."

Itachi studied the man he considered an older brother for a long time before sighing, "I wish it wasn't this way either, but you know neither side will allow this. It's best not too get attached."

 _Too late_ , Shisui thinks but all he says is, "Don't worry, Itachi. I know."

Noticing Shisui's detached tone, Itachi decided not to push it anymore and the two silently make their way back to the Uchiha district.

 _The Uchiha clan, my future bride, different villages,_ the words bounced in Shisui's mind as he walked back to his home, back to his clan. _I am meant to serve this village,_ he thinks, _but what about my heart?_ He would never leave the Hidden Leaf, to break away from everything his ancestors have worked so hard for, and he knows the same goes for her. But the beating organ in his chest sees past the lies he tells himself. _There are some things that the clan can decide, but some matters can only be left to the heart to determine,_ he thinks.

 _Perhaps, one day, we can break away from our chains, but still serve our villages. Could I break away from everything I know to be with her?_ He wonders, but he already knows the answer.


	7. Heaven

Author's note: Thank you to everyone who favorited, followed, and reviewed! You guys are awesome! Please enjoy this chapter!

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto. Manami Terumi is my character.

* * *

Heaven

"I've never seen the moon this bright before." Manami whispered.

She was laying in a grassy field just a few feet away from the lake where the Uchiha children go to practice their fireball jutsu. However, there weren't any children around, instead her only company was a curly haired ninja who had the habit of making Manami laugh in a way she hasn't since her father died.

It was the perfect night, the sky was clear, though no stars were present, the moon was full and bright, a cool breeze was present, crickets chirped peacefully, and she was with the person she had missed the most.

Said person was laying next to her, limbs stretched out in every direction and a lazy smile rested on his lips.

"I know," Shisui whispered back. To be honest, neither knew why they were whispering to each other, but there was something about that particular night that caused the two ninja to keep their voices down, and really take in the ambiance of their surroundings.

"I wonder where all the stars are?" Manami spoke out loud though she wasn't really expecting Shisui to answer. Unlike the other times they met up, where they talked from sunrise to sundown and spent each moment joined to the hip, this meeting was different. While they were still happy to see one another, something had shifted.

An awareness had been noticed, though what that would mean for the two ninja, has yet to be announced. The clear night had only solidified the feeling and greatly impacted the pair.

"Maybe, they decided that the moon deserved all the attention tonight." Shisui mused, "Even stars need to take a break sometimes."

Manami offered him a small chuckle, noticing the way his eyes were closed and how to wind gently ruffled his dark hair. "This is a perfect night. I feel like anything could happen." Shisui continued, sounding sleepy.

Manami hummed in agreement, eyes still locked on the bright moon. What she wouldn't give for the people of Kirigakure to see a night this clear, where it felt like she could trace the craters on the moon in perfect detail. She knew it was a foolish wish, the mist was essential, serving as protection for everyone. So instead, Manami wished that the mist would clear over everyone's hearts, and peace could finally come to her home.

Manami was so caught up in her thoughts that she didn't notice Shisui gazing softly at her.

 _Things have changed_ , he thinks. His previous conversation with Itachi had shown him as much. After he had bid Itachi goodbye, Shisui had sat on his floor for hours, thinking about what Itachi had said, and about the elders decision to arrange his marriage soon. He had been originally frighted at his own mind for knowing that he would leave the Leaf for her, but as the hours went by and night came, he realized that he had known months ago. He had just rejected the thought, pushed it into the deepest recesses of his mind, convincing himself that it was impossible.

 _It doesn't seem so impossible now_ , his conscious whispers.

 _It doesn't_ , he agrees, continuing to study the girl laying next to him. _Not at all._

Taking his chances, he turned towards the Mist kunoichi and whispered, "Manami…" She turned, looking surprised to see him awake. Her emerald eyes looked like the essence of every leaf in the world was concentrated in her beautiful orbs and Shisui felt his heart stop, "Stay with me tonight." Shisui asked, pleading with his eyes for her to understand his meaning.

She looks at him, really _looks_ at him, and after what felt like an eternity, she slowly nods.

Shisui gave her one of his heart stopping smiles before closing his eyes.

 _Bliss,_ he thinks but then opens his eyes and gazes at the night sky. _No, this is heaven._


	8. Innocence

Author's note: Hey guys, so life is crazy right now and I honestly don't know if I can update for the rest of this year. I was planning on writing some more chapters more Thanksgiving break but of course, my professors had to layer on the work! On top of that, my health isn't so good right now and to be honest, I just need time off. I wrote this a while ago, and it isn't my favorite but better this than nothing, right?

A huge thank you to everyone who favorited, followed, and reviewed! It means so much to me! Enjoy!

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto. Manami Terumi is my character.

* * *

Innocence

Despite being a shinobi, there were times Manami absolutely dreaded the darkness, or more accurately because it would mean it was time for sleep.

She had always been an energetic child, running around the mist covered village from sunrise to the time her father would go looking for her. Despite her frown of having to return home, she would always obediently hold her father's hand as the two made their way back to their modest house.

Her sadness would melt like snow as she helped her father prepare dinner and the two would sit on the floor, near the fireplace (they didn't have a dining room table) and talk about their day until the chopsticks were scrapping the last grains of rice in the bowl. Afterwards, she would help her father wash the dishes, and then she would do some academy homework.

When night came, her father would tuck her in bed, and place a gently kiss on her forehead. Without fail, Manami would peacefully sleep through the entire night, aware but unbothered by her village's blood lust at night.

She knew no matter what happened, her father would be there to protect her.

Like all good things, the imaginative safety that she built around herself came shattering down when three Kirigakure jounin knocked on her family's door and told her that her father had been killed.

It was then that Manami first experienced the unimaginable grief that came along with living in the shinobi world. Manami's mother had died when she was just an infant, so she had no memories to tie her to her mother, but her father was a different story. She did not remember a time when her father wasn't there and now, now she would have to.

Kirigakure had stolen the last remains of her childhood innocence.

Manami doesn't remember much of what they said afterwards, but she knows that they did not offer her their condolences, or offer any sympathy to the girl who just lost her father. They lived in the Bloody Mist after all, there was no point.

But, Manami does remember that it rained for three weeks straight after and her new Kirigakure headband remained cold and untouched on the floor beside her.

To this day, she still isn't sure how long it took for her aunt to find her sitting on the floor, cobwebs forming on the windows and croners. Perhaps it was the sadness of losing a parent that caused Manami to think the young woman in front of her was her mother. She knew, of course, it was impossible, her mother was long dead and her father was recently dead, so that left only one person, her aunt Mei.

Without saying a word, her aunt began packing her things into a bag and after a moment, Manami got up to help. Once the small house was old and her father's miniscule possession were either donated or thrown away, Manami took one last look at the house she had lived in since birth, before turning and following her aunt.

That was when the nightmares began. It was a different horror every night. She witnessed the life dim from his kind eyes and the cheerful smile he often gave her would morph into blood dripping down his lips.

Sometimes she dreamed of her father being stabbed to death, and other nights she saw him drowning. There were other nights when he was poisoned or incinerated, or froze to death. Sometimes he was ripped apart by rabid animals or enemy shinobi. On rare nights, he was simply decapitated. Despite her recurring nightmares, she still could not conclude whether it was an enemy shinobi or a fellow Mist shinobi that had killed her father. She doubted she would ever know.

The only thing that Manami could do was hope he had met his end quickly and painlessly.

With time and missions, her nightmares slowly faded but the ache in her heart meaning ever present. It didn't help that nightmares about her father's moment of death snuck up on her at the most random times, sometimes leaving Manami sweaty and gasping for air in the middle of the night, only to be greeted by empty space.

As it turns out, tonight was one of those nights were her dreams would plague her.

She had shot of bed, sweat coating her pale skin as she struggled to catch her breath. Looking down, she realized that she wasn't in her bed or in Kirigakure for that matter. She was lying in a grassy field in Konohagakure and as her heart rate slowed, she realized someone had placed a gently hand on her shoulder.

 _Shisui, right I remember I fell asleep in a field next to Shisui,_ her mind flashes images of their conversation before she gave into her sleepiness.

"It's okay, Manami-chan, I'm here," Shisui mumbled sleepily, but didn't remove the comforting hand from her shoulder, "Go back to sleep."

Manami gazed at his unfocused but bright onyx eyes and after a moment, she lowered herself back onto the soft grass, laying her head on his chest and his arms wrapped around her waist. After a few moments, with the comforting beat of Shisui's heart lullbed her back to sleep.

Afterwards, Manami discovered that whenever she was with Shisui the nightmare scenarios of her father's death, had all but disappeared.

While her innocence was long lost, her heart remained intact and was beating stronger than ever before.


	9. Drive

Author's note: I'm pretty sure my life is just a series of awkward events and there is nothing I can do to escape it. Also, I had coffee this morning and my entire body is shaking as I'm writing this. ANYWAYS, here is the next chapter! I hope you enjoy and please review!

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto. Manami Terumi is my character.

* * *

Drive

Manami had experienced many dangerous and strange things in her life. For most part, those two aspects have remained equal and balanced, for everything dangerous thing she encounter, there was something strange she saw as well. However, in the recent years Manami noticed that the scale in which she experienced strange things had far succeeded the dangerous things she experienced, which was quite a bold statement considering the fact that she was from Kirigakure.

Though, Manami had to admit she should have expected this, afterall, it would be foolish to ignore the fact that her increase in vilmet with strange and sometimes downright terrifying situations occurs the same time she had met the one and only Uchiha Shisui.

Manami mentally reminded herself to add her current situation to the list of both dangerous and strange things as she stared at the idiotic Uchiha who somehow managed to worm his way both onto this mission and (perhaps done the most idiotic, stupidest thing he had ever heard) by stating in a loud voice that he was going to Kirigakure to meet Aunt Mei.

Manami curled her hand into a fist as she remembered the dopey grin he had shot her while saying in his happy-go-lucky voice that it was, "Time to meet the family!" Before narrowly dodging her katana.

Manami bit back a snarl as she caught the mischievous glint in Shisui's eye as he rode in front of her on a horse, in what was perhaps the worst disguise she had ever had the displeasure of seeing.

Unable to help herself, her annoyance so high it was a miracle she hasn't decapitated the poor guard next to her. Manami forced her hand away from her katana as she grounded out,"Shisui, for the hundredth time, try to look natural!"

Without a doubt, this was going to be a long journey home.

* * *

It had all started during Manami's most recent diplomatic mission to Konohagakure. Thankfully, at this point, both villages knew that her arrival was just to maintain a healthy communication and encourage camaraderie. Kirigakure had been on a steady recovery and was beginning to develop bonds with other nations now. As a result, Manami's missions to the Hidden Leaf had become less frequent and shorter as Kirigakure's social and political status began to improve.

In fact, that was what she was in the middle of explaining to the Third Hokage was a messenger burst into the room. The Hokage gave a short puff as he read the letter before apologizing to her, saying that they would finish their meeting later.

Manami nodded in understanding before exiting the building only to run into the curly haired Uchiha herself.

She felt her heart give a small flutter at the sight of him. As usual, he was dressed in uniform, which told Manami he had just returned from a mission and was about to submit his report. With a shy smile, Manami suddenly noticed how handsome he looked in it.

Shisui gave her a playful wink that earned him a scowl in return as they passed in each. Manami headed to the lake, intending to relax and wait for Shisui to join her, however she was shocked when a messenger shinobi appeared thirty minutes after she sat down and escorted her back to the Hokage's office.

The next thirty minutes in the Hokage's office convinced Manami she had somehow been transported into an alternate universe as she stood beside Shisui who was grinning like a madman as they listened to the Hokage explain the details of the mission they apparently were going on _together._

Manami had completely zoned out as the Sandaime was talking but she caught the important key aspects: it was a simple C-ranked mission escorting a rich client back to his home on a small island near Kirigakure. He was worried that his enemies had hired thieves to attack and steal the valuables he had collected on his travels and hired Leaf shinobi to guard him. Manami immediately knew that the reason she was chosen was because she was heading in the same direction as the client and because of her infamous reputation as Mei Terumi's niece. She had to hand it to the Hokage, he was quite resourceful and clever. He knew that it would be more efficient to send her instead of two of his shinobi, though she knew from the grin on the Uchiha's face that Shisui wormed his way onto the mission with her. Manami tried her best to remain composed in front of the Hokage though on the inside she was livid, it did not escape her noticed that he intended to use this opportunity to head to Kirigakure to meet her aunt.

As the two headed towards the gates to meet the client Manami had devised a plan that would make Shisui regret volunteering on this mission. As they spoke with the client, Manami announced her plan that she felt it would be best if Shisui would disguise himself as a horse rider and she, alone, would act as the guard. That way it would look like the client was traveling with minimal protection and lure the bandits out.

Unsurprisingly, when Manami told Shisui, he vehemently disagreed.

"I'm not a good horse driver!" Shisui protested, "Why does this guy have so many empty carriages anyways? I feel bad for the horses!"

Manami had to agree, their client was in the middle carriage, while the others were full of things the client had collected on his travels.

Still Manami remained firm, "It doesn't matter why. We have a mission and this is the best way to ensure success. We have to pretend that the client is low on man-power in order to lure the enemy out. Besides, I don't even think 'horse driver' is the correct term for what you're going to do." She stated with exasperation. After a heated debate, Manami was able to trick Shisui in playing the role of the driver while she would be the guard.

Shisui pouted as he put on the disguise, stating how it covered his "handsome, smoldering, and captivating features" which prompted Manami to bend over the side, almost throwing up. The only consolation that Manami received was the sight of Shisui climbing on the horse only to be thrown off multiple times.

However, after a few minutes and some sugar cubes, the horse finally calmed down and they were off to Kirigakure.

After traveling all day and night, Manami decided it was safe enough to stop and give the horses a rest. In addition, they were more than halfway to the client's home and Manami had not detected any sign of the bandits.

The client's chief cooked up a heart meal in which the client wolfed down more food than Manami would have ever guessed was humanly possible in the span of less than an hour before promptly stating that he heading off to bed.

It did not escape either Manami or Shisui's notice that they had not taken more than two bites of their food by the time the client was done eating and it appeared that the client did not chew any of his food.

Both shinobi shuddered at the thought before quickly dismissing it from their heads. They ate in comfortable silence, keeping a look out for bandits while basketing in the earth the fire provided.

However, the silence was broken when Shisui asked, "So, if I'm going to meet your aunt, you should give me some background information."

Manami almost spit out her water, before turning to the Uchiha, "What makes you think you're going to meet my aunt?" She responded suspiciously.

Shisui remains interred as he continued look at her eagerly. The staredown lasted more than ten minutes before Manami caved, throwing her hands up in exasperation, "Alright, alright! I'll tell you just stop staring at me like that!"

The only response was Shisui grinning at her widely.

Manami sighed long and slowly, before formulating her response. "To be completely honest, the less you know the higher your chances of surviving her will be. My aunt can be… overwhelming to say the least, but she's been wanting to meet you for awhile now, which means she's more likely to be twice as bad." Manami warned him in an ominous tone but it was clear her words did nothing to deter him from meeting the Mizukage.

"Truthfully, my aunt is one of the nicest people you could ever meet, well… she _is_ nice to most people except for Captain Ao. For some reason, anything he says to her causes her to emit a deathly aura and then she threatens to kill him." Manami said with a light tone.

"So all I have to do is be myself and she'll love me? That's good! I'm great with older women!" Shisui said grinning but stopped when he saw the look of horror on Manami's face.

"No matter what you do, don't mention age, marriage, and any other words related to that in front of her. In fact, don't say anything about a union of any sort if it doesn't pertain to the alliance between the Hidden Mist and Hidden Leaf. Captain Ao has been on the receiving end of her wrath, to be honest I don't know why he hasn't learned his lesson yet." Manami warned Shisui and he gulped nervously.

"Okay… got it." Shisui said, feeling like he was about to go on an S-ranked mission.

Manami noticed his terrified expression and teased lightly, "Come on, don't tell me the almighty Shisui of the Body Flicker is scared."

Like a switch, Shisui bounced back to his normal confident expression, "What? Me of course not! I can't wait to meet your aunt!" Shisui said with bravo.

Manami grinned at his tough guy pose, " Trust me, she can't wait to meet you either. She's been bugging me nonstop to introduce you two." Manami said, knowing in the next few days everything would drastically change.

* * *

Author's note: I've missed writing this story so much! Please check out my other stories if you haven't already and please please review!

Also…

CHAPTER TEN: SHISUI FINALLY GOES TO KIRIGAKURE


	10. Breathe Again

Author's note: Wow! We're one tenth of the way finished with this challenge! Thank you so much to everyone who read, favorited, followed, and reviewed this story! I know its cheesy but your support was the only reason I kept on writing! Thank you so so much and I really hope you enjoy! Please review!

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto. Manami Terumi is my character.

* * *

Breathe Again

"I can barely see my hand in front of my face." Shisui said as he dramatically waved his right hand in front of his face. They had arrived at the tiny island near Kirigakure a few minutes ago and after making sure the client was safely back home, they headed towards Kirigakure's mainland. To Manami's surprise, the entire journey had been smooth and the bandits were nowhere to be seen.

"It's called the village Hidden in the Mist for a reason Shisui." Manami groaned out but on the inside she was shaking. Aunt Mei and Shisui were minutes away from meeting each other. She wasn't sure if this day would end in a celebration or funeral, but judging by the way Shisui was acting, she was leaning towards funeral.

Biting back a sigh, Manami grabbed Shisui's arm and they began the not-long-enough-walk towards the Mizukage's office.

A few seconds of silence passed between the two before Manami opened her mouth only to be cut off.

"Yes I'm sure I want to meet your aunt." Shisui said with a knowing glint in his dark eyes.

"I didn't even say anything!" Manami exclaimed.

Shisui sighed dramatically, "Yes, you didn't. But you've been acting on edge even since we dropped the client off. _Relax_ , Manami-chan, I've got this!" Shisui said confidently while giving her a thumbs up.

 _Do you really though?_ Manami thought but kept her scepticism to herself.

In what felt like in the blink of an eye, they were standing in front of her aunt's office. As if she was trapped in some genjutsu, she felt herself lift her hand to knock on the Mizukage's door. A few seconds passed before Manami heard two words in her aunt's voice that made her debate grabbing Shisui and running back to the Hidden Leaf.

"Come in."

For a brief moment, Manami saw her fear mirrored on Shisui's face before he broke in a giant grin and fearlessly pushed the door open.

Shisui confidently walked in while Manami trudged in after him, feeling like they were both entering the lion's den. Shisui began to kneel but was stopped.

"There's no need for that, Uchiha-san," Aunt Mei spoke before turning her attention to her niece, "So I see you've finally decided to introduce me to your boyfriend, Manami-chan. It's about time, for a moment I thought you were waiting for me to be on my deathbed."

"Y-yes, Aunt Mei. The opportunity presented itself quite nicely." Manami said looking hesitantly at her aunt.

Shisui kept his eyes respectfully lowered, but he didn't miss the fact that the Mizukage had not asked about the mission. Suddenly, he realized it was because the Mizukage had faith in her niece's abilities and knew she would not allow the mission to be a failure.

In addition, he realized that the Mizukage had called Shisui, Manami's boyfriend and Manami had not corrected her. Unable to help himself, he burst into a grin.

"You're even more handsome when you smile. I can only imagine what you are thinking about." The Mizukage spoke in a teasing tone.

Shisui felt himself flush while Manami gasped.

"Aunt Mei! You promised you would be appropriate!" Manami explained, looking and sounding mortified.

The Mizukage waved a light hand at her niece's dismay, "Don't worry, Manami-chan, I am. I just can't help myself, you've kept him away for so long."

 _For good reason,_ Manami thought as she watched her aunt stare Shisui down, the scene reminded her of a predator stalking its prey.

To his credit, Shisui kept his chakra calm and even as the Mizukage kept studying him intently though Manami could see small beads of sweat form at the base of his neck and because she had been around him for so long, she could tell that his stiff, rigid stance was a sign that he was nervous… or more accurately petrified.

Manami's emerald eyes did a quick surveillance of the room, desperately looking for something to comment on when it suddenly hit her. The only people in the room were her, her aunt, and Shisui.

Acting on instinct and the strong desire to keep Shisui's blood off her aunt's floor, Manami asked in a casual tone, "Aunt Mei, where is Captain Ao?"

Thankfully that did the trick. Slowly, the Mizukage took her intense stare off the slightly shaking Uchiha and focused on her niece.

"I sent him on a few errands." Her aunt used a similar tone that instantly told Manami that for the umpteenth time, Captain Ao had said the wrong thing and was now being punished for it.

 _At least he's still alive,_ Manami thought.

"Anyways, let's not waste time talking about Ao. I would rather know more about you Uchiha-san." Aunt Mei spoke turning her attention to the dark haired shinobi.

As if he had been preparing for this his entire life, Shisui took a deep breath before sending her his most charming smile, "Of course I would be happy to tell you anything you wanted to know, Mizukage-sama."

Perhaps it was the smile or the way Shisui spoke or maybe it was just the ancient Uchiha allure, but Manami watched in wonder as Shisui and her aunt conversed as if they were old friends. They told each other stories and even exchanged jokes, the conversation was so causal that at one point, her aunt started to refer to Shisui by his first name rather than Uchiha-san. Manami noticed how relieved he was when she referred to him informally.

The conversation flows easily back and forth with light banter from both sides until the next sentence escaped Shisui's lips, "With your skills and intelligence, Mizukage-sama, I can see how lucky and safe the people of Kirigakure must feel with having you as a leader for so many years."

 _So. Many. Years._

Each sound wave glided across the air so clearly that Manami felt like she could almost see them. In fact, Manami was sure she could see them and they horrifying resembled three deadly poisonous kunai.

The room was so still it seemed like the air particles themselves were frozen. Everything next happened in a slow, excruciating motion. Manami saw the miniscule twitch of her aunt's lip, and predicted that in the next few seconds, a few stray auburn strands would fall from her bangs.

Soon, the smile would come and Manami would be carrying Shisui back in a body bag.

Coincidentally, it appeared that Shisui only had a few seconds to live as well. They turned to each other, horror mirrored in each other's eyes.

 _Where do you want to be buried?_ Manami's eyes conveyed.

 _Somewhere sunny and please make sure no one brings mangoes to my grave._ Shisui responded through wide, obsidian eyes.

Then time returned to normal, and both shinobi were rapidly trying to appease the Mizukage who had remained as still as a statue.

"Riding a horse has caused him to be delirious!"

"I guess horse driving has turned my brain into mush!"

"He had too many spices yesterday!"

"I must have confused you with someone else!"

"He's tired from a long journey!"

"By many years, I meant very, very few years!"

"Yes! That's right! They speak in opposite terms in the Hidden Leaf!"

"Right! I'm so so sorry! I've forgotten that Kirigakure does not speak the same way as the Leaf!"

As Manami and Shisui continued to shout out excuses, fumbling and building off each other in the desperate attempt to prevent the Mizukage from killing the curly haired Uchiha, they missed the way she was watching them with an amused glint in her eyes, the exact opposite of the deadly look she was used to sending Ao on a daily basis.

As the two shinobi continued to confess the strangest excuses, limbs flailing like fish out of water, the Mizukage watched for a few more minutes before deciding to put them out of their misery.

She softly cleared her throat, causing both shinobi to look at her cautiously before giving them both a genuine smile, "Welcome to Kirigakure, Shisui-kun."

Manami and Shisui looked at the Mizukage in silent shock before slowly turning to each other, then, as if they truly were one person, they collapsed in front of her desk, letting out relieved sighs.

They both could finally breathe again.

* * *

Author's note: Well there you have it! Shisui has finally met Aunt Mei and Manami confirmed that she and Shisui were officially a couple! This wasn't planned but I think it worked out perfectly for the tenth chapter! Thank you so so much for your support, it genuinely means so much to me! Please remember to review and here's to ninety more chapters together!


	11. Memory

Author's note: Hi everyone! Thank you so much for your support on the last chapter! I decided that I want to include a wider range of story forms in this challenge! Which includes one shots, two shots, AUs, and more! I'll let you know if the chapters are one shots, AUs or not, but don't worry, the main pairing will still be ManamixShisui! This is just so I don't get bored and I think it will help motivate me to get to 100 chapters! Please enjoy and review!

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto. Manami Terumi is my character.

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Memory

Mei watched from her large windows in the Mizukage's office as her niece took the curly haired Uchiha's hand and dragged him into the market. Though he put a show of complaining about going shopping, Mei could easily see that he would have willingly gone anywhere Manami wanted him to go.

Mei bit back a chuckle as the Uchiha attempted to juggle only to have Manami catch the falling fruit. She profusely apologised to the stall owner before dragging the blushing Uchiha by the collar away from the fruit vendors.

 _So it looks like Uchihas aren't good at everything,_ Mei thought as she continued watching them. The pair kept walking around the market, Shisui eagerly picking up and examining various things with childlike curiosity while Manami watched him with a mixture of amusement and exasperation.

Mei got the feeling that Shisui had been begging her niece to let him come to Kirigakure for a while now, if his enthusiasm about every little thing he saw was any indicator. Mei let out a small chuckle, knowing that she was probably a key reason why Manami was reluctant to bring Shisui to Kirigakure.

As the pair disappeared into the mist, Mei cursed herself for not forcing Shisui to match her up with one of the members of his clan. She could only imagine the horror that would appear on her niece's face when she asked. Though, the Mizukage was unsure about how the Uchiha would response.

Mei assumed he would have most likely agreed to anything she asked if it meant Mei would approve of his and Manami's relationship.

Mei smiled softly to herself as she turned away from the window and sat back down at her desk, ready to dive back into her paperwork and wait for Ao to return from the absurd list of errands she sent him on. Even the thought of the carelessly speaking ANBU captain was not enough to ruin Mei's good mood.

There was something about seeing her niece so happy and clearly in love that gave Mei hope for the future. For quite some time, Mei had been worried that Manami would never form deep, intimate connections with others given the trauma of her childhood during the Bloody Mist. Which was one of the main reasons Mei had spent Manami to the Hidden Mist in hopes of securing a peace treaty with them. She had no doubt that Manami would succeed in gaining the Hokage's trust, but Mei had also hoped that having more interaction with Leaf shinobi would help Manami see the light again and lift her spirits.

Thankfully, Mei's hope had paid off and with every return from Konohagakure, Manami seemed happier than before. The Mizukage wasn't blind to the fact that a certain curly haired Uchiha must have played an important role in her niece's transformation.

It had been quite a long time since Mei had seen the look of hope and love so clearly written on a couple like it was for Manami and Shisui. Though Mei knew she should stop the next few images and thoughts that were about to flood into her conscious, Mei didn't. It had been so long since she had thought about them, even longer that she had talked or spoken their names out loud of anyone. She knew she wouldn't start now, it was not the time to start thinking about old memories. She had promised herself that when he died but couldn't resist whispering their names in her head before forcing herself to read the new mission report in front of her.

It would come as no surprise to anyone who knew the _true_ story that the people Mei was thinking about, the names she had whispered in her head belonged to a couple whose love saved and destroyed them both.

The names that belonged to the two people were Manami's mother and father.

* * *

Author's note: This isn't as long as the others but I'm not feeling super well right now. This chapter serves to convey Mei's reaction to meeting Shisui and what she thinks about her niece dating him. In addition, it also serves as a way of hinting at what really happened between Manami's mother and father, which will be revealed in later chapters. Thank you for reading and please enjoy!


	12. Insanity

Author's note: Hi everyone, I'm going through some tough times right now, and needed an escape from reality. I figured diving back into the fictional world where Shisui and Manami are happy would make me feel better. I hope you like it and please review, you don't know how happy it makes me to see your thoughts and opinions on my work.

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto. Manami Terumi is my character.

* * *

Insanity

Captain Ao was sure he was going insane.

He had just returned to the Hidden Mist village after completing a series of exhausting errands that the Mizukage had sent in on as she emitted a deadly aura. As Ao stared down at the list she had given him, his eyes widen as he saw most of the places he had to go would take days to get to and back from, so without another word he quickly bolted from the room.

Ao sighed as he trudged up the stairs to Mei-sama's office. For the life of him, he couldn't figure out what and why Lady Mizukage would suddenly spin into a spiral of rage and emit a deadly aura when he was just stating his opinion on things. He _was_ one of her advisors afterall.

Ao made a mental note to ask Manami about it when he saw her again. Surely, the Mizukage's niece would know what made her aunt act like that.

He briefly wondered if Manami was back from her mission as he softly knocked on the Mizukage's door before letting himself in.

An unknown force stopped him in his tracks. He must be under some kind of genjutsu. Surely he didn't just walk into Lady Mizukage's office to see her sitting at her desk, laughing and drinking tea with Manami and… Shisui Uchiha.

At the sound of the door opening, all three heads turned to see Ao standing completely still that he could have been mistaken for a statue. Manami lifted an brow in confusion, Shisui stared calmly at the ANBU captain, while Mei just continued casually sipping her tea. After a few seconds, she got up and walked towards the frozen blue haired shinobi.

"Oh, So you're back. I trust you brought back the things I put on the list." Mei said as she stared at her still frozen shinobi.

At the sound of the Mizukage's voice, Ao seemed to snap out of his shock, and held out a scroll that contained all the items he had been sent to retrieve with a shaky hand. Mei ignored his tremble and offered him a smile as she took the scroll.

"Great! Now I can get started on some things I've been meaning to do." Mei said walking back to her desk. Ao's jaw made a small thump sound as he heard her nonchalant statement.

Mei looked up curiosity but everyone could detect a small glimpse of annoyance in her eyes. Taking a deep breath, Mei asked "What's the matter, Ao?"

Sensing that her aunt was a few minutes from losing her temper and most likely to exile Ao from Kirigakure, she sent Ao a warning look. _Think before you speak,_ Manami thought.

Unfortunately for everyone in the room, Ao completely missed Manami's warning and exclaimed, "Lady- Lady Mizukage! Wh-what is… is he doing here?!" pointing dramatically at Shisui and giving him an accusatory glare.

Shisui raised a brow at the Mist ANBU Captain. Manami sighed slowly at Ao's idiotic tendency, expecting for her aunt to behead Ao. However, Mei shocked them all by chuckling softly. All three pairs of eyes were on her, but Mei seemed unperturbed.

"Ao, this is Shisui Uchiha, he's my niece's boyfriend." Mei spoke in a voice that one would use to explain something to a small child.

The room was silent for a moment and that was when Ao of the Hidden Mist knew that he was going insane.

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Author's note: Please review!


	13. Misfortune

Author's note: Hi everyone! Well, finals are finally done for me which means I'm going to have a lot more time to write. That being said, I have a really busy summer ahead of me, so I think I'm going to write and edit when I can, and post in the fall when college starts, where I definitely won't have any time to do… anything but school work. That being said, I'll still be posting a few chapters every now and then over the summer. Right now, my main goal is to finish Sky Blue Sadness, so expect that to be updated more regularly! Please enjoy this chapter and please review!

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto. Manami Terumi is my character.

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Misfortune

Manami found Shisui's warm, reassuring hand extremely comforting as they made their way through the heavy morning mist.

Besides the shinobi on guard duty, everyone in the village was asleep. The sun was just starting to peak on the horizon as the two walked towards the edges of the village

No one spoke as Manami expertly guided Shisui past tall boulders and rocky paths. At one point, the mist had become so thick that Shisui could not see through it. He contemplated actiivating his Sharingan but found that there was something very intimate about fully trusting Manami to lead them to their destination. Plus, he enjoyed her hand in his way too much to let go.

Though it made no sense, it seemed as of the mist was clearing and growing stronger at the same time. At times, it seemed as if the mist was lashing out to attack him or lurking behind him, waiting for the chance to attack. Nothing happened however, which is something Shisui credited to Manami's presence. She seemed different here, she kept her chakra calm but ready if someone attacked them.

Perhaps Shisui had missed it on the way to Kirigakure, too wrapped up in meeting her aunt (and potentially being killed by her), that he failed to notice how respected and powerful Manami really was, not just in Kirigakure but everywhere. He saw it earlier in the way Lady Mizukage glowed with pride for her niece, saw it in the nod of respect Lord Hokage gave her. It wasn't just in the village leaders, as they walked around the village market and streets, multiple people had called out to Manami, waving and bowing at her as she passed. It was clear Manami was respected and loved by everyone.

The two continued walking in the mist, Shisui completely oblivious to where they were headed. All Manami had told him when she woken him up very early this morning was that she wanted to show him something.

However, as the two continued, and Shisui began noticing neat uniform stone markers, Shisui suddenly knew where they were. It was much different in Konoha, where the graves of the fallen shinobi were placed in a clear, sunny area that many people could get to. However, Kirigakure's graveyard, everything was hidden away and if someone wasn't looking for it, it would be very easy to miss.

Suddenly, Manami slowed to a stop and let out a soft breath.

"We're here." She said, her words slicing through the fog like a katana as she pulled him closer.

It was hard to see clearly, but Shisui's trained eyes were able to make out two long tombstones in front of him. Judging by Manami's demeanor and her decision to bring him here, it didn't take a genius to figure out who the gravestones belonged to.

Shisui was young when Manami's mother had died, but he distinctly remembered how the rumors had spread all over the shinobi world. Speculation over how she died and how killed her went on for months. All the nations sent their best Jonin and ANBU to infiltrate Kirigakure in hopes of getting some answers, but they either returned nearly dead or did not return at all. Regardless of the death of Kirigakure's most deadliest shinobi and one of the blood thirstiest shinobi in all of history, Kirigakure was still in the era of the Bloody Mist and they did not take kindly to infiltrators. Even to this day, the question of who killed the current Mizukage's sister remained unanswered, though many fingers were pointed and many shinobi claimed to have done it. Unsurprisingly, those shinobi who claimed to have killed her, ended up dead days later.

The death of Manami's father was less of a mystery and less publicized. Shisui had heard that he had been a gifted healer. Even the legendary Tsunade Senju had praised his abilities, despite being from an enemy village. However, something strange and fascinating about him that Shisui had heard about from many people was that he was able to expertly wield all seven of the blades belonging to the seven swordsmen of the mist, despite not being one of them. Now, _that_ was impressive, given how much chakra each blade consumed from its wielder. Of course, there was also the popular rumor that it had been him who killed his wife. Shisui didn't know if he wanted to know the truth regarding that rumor.

In addition to his skills as a shinobi, Manami's father was greatly beloved by the people of Kirigakure and when he was killed on a mission, by either his own comrades or the enemy team, his death was seen as a great misfortune for the village _and_ shinobi world.

Beside Shisui, Manami stood still, lost in thought. Shisui walked a bit closer to graves but didn't let go of Manami's hand. He read the names etched onto the smooth, grey stone: Chinami Terumi and Kaito.

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Author's note: I really enjoyed this chapter and I hope you did too. I'm really excited to explore the relationship Manami's parents had, and I want to dive into writing about Shisui's parents as well. Let me know what you thought of this chapter by leaving a review. They really do mean the world to me. Thank you for reading!


	14. Smile

Author's note: Hi! Hope everyone is doing well! Welcome to a new chapter, I hope you enjoy and please review!

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto. Manami Terumi is my character.

* * *

Smile

Shisui couldn't keep the smile off this face. There were so many highlights to his trip to Kirigakure: meeting Manami's aunt, spending time with Manami, visiting Kirigakure as a guest, spending time with Manami, officially being in a relationship with Manami, spending time with Manami, Manami trusting Shisui enough to take him to her parent's graves, and of course, spending time with Manami.

However, this moment definitely was one the best parts of the trip.

It was now well into the morning and though the heavy mist blanketed Kirigakure, the village was alive with activity. Children were taken in school and street vendors opened up their stalls for business. Birds chirped as they scoured the streets for scraps, dogs barked happily, and cats dozed on empty crates.

As Shisui continued to take in the sights around him, it became increasingly clear that despite the differences in appearance, the people of Konoha and Kirigakure weren't as different as many believed. There was a sense of love, devotion, and strength in both villages that could not be mistaken.

While a sense of loyalty, love, and warmth had always been present in the Leaf, Shisui knew it kindness and strength only recently re-emerged thanks to Mei Terumi's efforts along with the efforts of both the civilians and shinobi of the Hidden Mist who wanted to bring change and hope to their beloved village.

The sense of determination and resilience that Shisui had witnessed in the short amount of time he spent in Kirigakure brought a smile to his face which only grew when he heard Manami stir from their bed and slowly made her way over to him, sleep clinging to her every step.

Shisui wrapped his arms around her as she buried her face into the crook of his neck, mumbling a sleepy "Morning."

Shisui laughed softly as he pressed gentle kisses into her hair. The two stood by the window, Shisui taking in the sights of Kirigakure and Manami attempting to shake the sleep from her body.

After a few moments, Manami said "I wish you didn't have to leave today." It was ironic, considering how reluctant she was to bring him to Kirigakure in the first place, but most of her hesitation stemmed from the very valid fear that Aunt Mei would either kill Shisui which would start a war between Kirigakure and Konoha or decide to marry Shisui right after meeting him.

Thankfully, none of those two things happened though Aunt Mei hasn't stopped asking Shisui if he had any available relatives since she first met him. It was no secret that Manami couldn't wait to see how Shisui would handle her aunt's continuous questions before leaving… hopefully with all his limbs attached.

Shisui tightened his arms around her, "Me either but I think Ao will explode if I stay any longer and I'm running out of excuses to tell your aunt in regards to her future husband." Shisui respond, letting out a short laugh at the end.

Manami hummed in agreement, letting herself enjoy the warmth that Shisui provided a moment longer before realty steeped its way back into her mind.

Reluctantly pulling away, Manami gestered Shisui to follow her downstairs to have breakfast with ehr aunt before heading back to Konoha.

* * *

"So, when should I expect to know the name of my future husband and specifics of the wedding?" Mei asked Shisui at the harbor next to Manami. As much as it pained her to see such a nice looking and talented young shinobi leave her village, she knew he would be back in no time if the adoring look he kept shooting Manami was any indication of his feelings.

Shisui gulped nervously, shooting a desperate look at Manami look returned his helpless glance with one of her own.

"Well… you see Lady Mizukage…" Shisui stammered, his words drifting off.

The three stood in silence, two desperately racking their brains for a response while Mei waited impatiently.

"Why have Shisui find someone from his clan for you, Aunt Mei. Wouldn't it be easier to decide when you come to the Hidden Leaf and visit the Uchiha clan? I'm sure they would love to have you!" Manami exclaimed, exaggerated happiness in every word.

Shisui looked at her as if she had brought him water in the middle of the desert before nodding so fast that both the Terumi women wondered if it would fall off.

"Yes Manami-chan is absolutely right. I completely agree that coming to the Leaf would be the best course of action." Shisui responded, matching Manami's enthusiasm with his own.

Mei immediately agreed, clapping her hands together as a bright smile emerged, "What a pleasant idea! Unfortunately, I can't be away from Kirigakure right now, though I'll see what I can do in the near future."

"No worries, Lady Mizukage. Whenever works best for you." Shisui responded, taking a mental note to warn the members of his clan about the possibility of Kirigakure's Mizukage arriving and demanding that one of them marry her.

Shisui gave the Terumi women one last smile as he stepped onto boat heading back towards Konoha. Even when the mist covered both the Mizukage and Manami, Shisui kept this gaze locked to where they were standing and even if he tried, he couldn't keep the smile off his face.

* * *

Author's Note: Thank you for reading! I hope you enjoyed and please review!


	15. Silence

Author's Note: Hi! Thank you so much for the incredible amount of love on the last chapter and this story in general! Wow time goes by so fast, _Water_ is officially one year old today! To be honest, when I first published the first chapter, I wasn't sure anyone would be interested in reading about Shisui but I came to realize that one, it didn't matter if anyone wanted to read it, all that mattered as that I was writing about something I wanted to write about. Two, as I continued posting chapters, I was pleasantly surprised by how many people truly loved the story and wanted to know more about Shisui. With all that being said, I just wanted to give a massive thank you to everyone who read, reviewed, followed, favorited, or just clicked on the story. Whether you have been with me from day one or if you just discovered this story right now, I just want to thank you from the bottom of my heart. I am the writer I am today because of you and I couldn't be any more grateful. Thank you and enjoy!

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto. Manami Terumi is my character.

* * *

Silence

"Shisui, we shouldn't be doing this!" Manami said as she ran after him.

Shisui laughed in response as he continued to pull her along the thickest parts of the forest.

The Forest of Death to be exact.

Manami had just recently arrived in Konoha, only to be whisked away by the Uchiha upon her arrival. Shisui ignored all of Manami's questions as he pulled her through the busy streets of Konoha, where civilians and shinobi looked on in amusement at the sight of a grinning Uchiha pulling the ambassador from Kirigakure through their village.

While Manami normally would have been embarrassed by the display, she was relieved that onlookers were more amused that afraid of her. She was glad that trust was continuing to grow and solidify between the two villages. It wasn't that long ago, that servere mistrust and animosity occurred and while Manami was hopeful that the peace would last, she knew better than to get too ahead of herself.

Change took time and Manami was willing to be patient if things changed for the better.

However, she found that her patience with Shisui was slowly starting to fade as he continued to pull her through the village, stopping only to wave at passersby. Her confusion turned into concern when he stopped in front of the sealed gates of the Forest of Death.

"Shisui… what are we doing here?" Manami asked cautiously. Konoha was famous for many things, from its friendly inhabitants to its overall nice climate, in fact, that was part of the reason most people came to Konoha. However, one aspect of Konoha that people mostly stayed away from for multiple reasons but mainly because they didn't want to die was the Forest of Death.

Manami herself had been in there a few times and while it wasn't challenging to someone that possessed her skill and experience, she knew it was picked as a test for the Chunin Exams precisely because it taught genin the importance of being resourceful in intense moments along with reminding them how difficult a shinobi's life actually was.

"I have a surprise for you, Manami-chan but first we have to get in there." Shisui said, pointing to the locked gates.

Manami had a very strong feeling that she wasn't going to like whatever the "surprise" Shisui had in mind but nonetheless, she followed him as he jumped over the gate, thinking that if they got in trouble, she could and would easily place the blame on him.

"Shisui…" Manami said again but he just shot her a grin before jumping into the trees, leaving her no choice but to follow.

The two moved in silence, Shisui trying to keep the grin off his face and Manami using her ounce of her training to try to decipher what he was planning.

Finally, Shisui motioned for Manami to stop and just as her feet touched the ground, Shisui flickered behind her and covered her eyes with his hands.

"Okay, take a few steps forward." Shisui said, guiding her.

"Now I'm really scared." Manami responded but followed his instructions.

After taking a few steps, Shisui said "Okay, ready?"

"Ready," She responded.

"Surprise!" Shisui said enthusiastically as he removed his hands from her eyes.

It took Manami a half second to adjust to the light and full second to process what she was looking at.

A picnic.

Shisui had set up a picnic in the middle of the Forest of Death.

Manami was speechless. Shisui's grin continued to grow as Manami struggled to find the words to say. Or to say anything for that matter.

"Well, what do you think? I remember you telling me that you've never been on a picnic before and I thought what better place to have it in than the Leaf Village." Shisui said, proudly.

 _But why did you choose the Forest of Death out of all the places,_ Manami thought hopelessly.

When she finally found her voice, Manami said "This is great Shisui and I love the idea of going on a picnic with you… but why pick the Forest of Death as our location?"

Shisui laughed, "Oh, that's because I used to go and hang out here with my family and Itachi when we were younger. It's sort of an Uchiha thing."

 _It's official, Uchiha's are crazy,_ Manami thought. A shiver went through her as she imagined infants and toddlers from the Uchiha clan running around and playing in the Forest of Death as their parents prepared meals _. Uchiha's might be crazier that some people in Kirigakure,_ Manami thought.

"Anyways, let's eat!" Shisui exclaimed, clapping his hands together as he walked towards the blanket of food. Manami walked behind them, scanning the trees a couple of times for any sign of danger before moving to sit down next to him.

Shisui went to grab the basket at the same time a movement caught Manami's eyes. She was about to warn him when Shisui let out a loud shriek.

Manami quickly pulled out a kunai and prepared to throw it when she caught sight of what had startled Shisui.

It was a toad sitting on the picnic basket looking very unimpressed with the Uchiha sprawled on the ground.

Manami couldn't stop herself from breaking into a giant smile as the toad looked on in silence.

* * *

Author's Note: Thank you so much for reading and supporting this story for so long! Thank you and please review!


	16. Questioning

Author's Note: Hi everyone! I hope you're having a great day! Thank you so much to everyone who has followed, favorited, read, and reviewed! I've been really anxious lately so my inspiration has been at an all time low, with that being said I hope you enjoy this chapter and please let me know what you think!

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto. Manami Terumi is my character.

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Questioning

Manami knew this was coming.

Part of her wanted to get it over with and the other half wanted to avoid it as much as possible.

However, she knew it was as unavoidable as keeping Shisui and Aunt Mei from meeting each other. Which is exactly why Manami began preparing herself for the much awaited conversation that she knew was going to happen.

And happen it did.

Manami had been in the Leaf village for a few days as part of her job as an ambassador for Kirigakure, when she was suddenly approached by none other than Itachi Uchiha. Still, Manami would take being confronted by Itachi over any of the other members of the Uchiha clan… except Sasuke of course.

"Manami-san, it's good to see you." Itachi said before pausing, which was the first indication that the conversation that Manami had been dreading was about to happen. He continued, "I was hoping we could talk about a few things?" Itachi asked, his tone clearly implying the topic or rather the person, they were about to discuss.

She took a deep breath before offering him a small smile, "Sure Itachi-san, let's go to the lake."

* * *

"Shisui would be annoyed to learn that I'm talking to you about him without his knowledge." Itachi said calming, staring off into the calm lake. Manami followed his gaze but that simple sentence was all the warning she needed before preparing herself for the rest of the conversation.

"I agree, he always loves to be in the know." Manami responded, keeping her tone light and unassuming.

Neither said anything for a moment, instead opting to take in the beautiful scenery in front of them. For Manami, who had grown up in a literal blanket of fog and mist, this beautiful view never gets old. As for Itachi, she suspected that despite living in such a sunny village, he rarely got to enjoy due to his overwhelming mission assignment list.

"Manami-san, I don't think there's any need to avoid the subject." Itachi paused, for the first time looking hesitant, "I'm sure Shisui has told that he has been pressured by the clan elders to marry."

 _He hadn't,_ Manami thought. But she had always assumed that was why on certain days, Shisui seemed a little more stressed than usual.

"I'm sure it's a lot of pressure they're putting on Shisui." Manami said, making sure to keep her voice even.

Again, Itachi hesitated before responding, "Manami, I don't think I need to tell you that Shisui cares a great deal about you. He loves you very much. In a perfect world, that would be more than enough for a solid future for you two, but you and Shisui aren't just any orginainy people. You're the Mizukage's niece and Shisui is a prominent member of the Uchiha clan." Itachi said, "I'm not saying this to be cruel Manami, quite the opposite actually. I don't want to see either of you hurt, by the circumstance, each other, or from outside forces."

If there was one thing at Manami had to admit at that moment was that Itachi Uchiha had an insane amount of courage. Not in a bad way either. He was just one of those up front people that Manami rarely came across and it was quite the refreshing experience.

She offered Itachi a small smile filled with understanding, "Don't worry, Itachi-san. I know exactly what you mean and I think Shisui does as well. There's really nothing to worry about."

Itachi said nothing but she had a feeling that the message hidden beneath her response was clear enough.

They were shinobi, it was their job to endure any and all kinds of hardships and pains. Including love.


	17. Blood

Author's Note: Hi! Thank you so much to everyone who read, reviewed, favorited, and followed my story! It means so much to me! Please enjoy this chapter and let me know what you think!

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto. Manami Terumi is my character.

* * *

Blood

Sometimes Manami Terumi hated the color of her hair.

It wasn't because it was a reminder of her mother and the acts that she had allegedly committed. Manami had no memory of her mother, but even if her mother had done those awful things, Manami couldn't hold anything against her. If anything, her hair was a reminder of her mother, her father, her aunt, in addition to symbolising that she belonged to the Terumi Clan of the Village Hidden in the Mist.

Even if her mother was a crazed killer, Manami would love her anyways. People were who they were, and the time period that her mother lived in was the darkest time period in Kirigakure. It was a poor excuse, but in a time where it was kill or be killed in a ruthless place, Manami could vaguely understand if some of the rumors of her mother's past actions were true.

Even now, Kirigakure still bore the remains of Lord Yagura's reign despite the progress her aunt and the people of Kirigakure had made.

No, the main reason Manami disliked her auburn hair didn't have anything to do with her mother's reputation. It was because it reminded her of autumn. Of dying. Of dried blood stained walls, bloodied hand prints. Of clumsy attempts to wash away the blood from buildings and streets.

As a child, Manami distinctly remembered watching workers hose down a building where a family had been massacred the night before. In the Hidden Mist, it was a normal sight and no one stopped and looked as the rust colored water flowed into the village streets.

But Manami did. To be clear, she had witnessed this type of thing before. However, for whatever reason, something about that day and place made Manami stop and watch.

Being from the village where most people had a water based chakra affinity meant two things. One, that there would always be a surplus of water to wash any blood away and two, kids often practiced water jutsus by washing off blood from the buildings.

As Manami watched genin wash blood from the building, she was fascinated with how the blood tinted the water… only to realize that it matched her hair.

While Manami knew her hair was more auburn than red, she couldn't stop her young mind from creating the feeling as if her own hair was drenched in blood.

While Manami had grown up and learned to control her thoughts, the hatred for her hair color came back now and then, ranging from when she was on missions to moments when she was alone in her room. She knew it was foolish but there were times when the sight of her deep auburn hair that matched the color of dried blood drove her so insane that she had the urge to chop it all off.

However, there were moments such as this one when Manami loved her hair as well. As usual, she was in the Hidden Leaf village, though it was less business related and more centered on missing Shisui.

Now, she found herself lying under a tree, listening to the soft chirps from the birds and feeling the cool breeze flow across her face. Of course, a certain Uchiha was with her. In fact he was quite preoccupied playing with her hair, gently twirling her auburn hair she often hated in his hands as if it was the most precious thing he had ever seen as she rested her head in his lap.

She watched his bright, dark eyes study the strands, his gentle fingers weaving it as the light hit at different places. His eyes wide with awe and lips shaped in a gentle smile.

To her, her hair was the color of dried blood. A symbol of violence and hatred. To him, it was the color of change and hope in a village far away surrounded by water. Shisui knew he would sacrifice all the green his birth village was known for, just to catch a glimpse of her beautiful auburn hair.

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Author's Note: Thank you so much for reading! I really hope you enjoyed this chapter and please review, I love hearing what you guys think of the story! Anyways, I'm really excited for you to read the next chapter, it's a longer one and take place in the past. Any guesses on what it is about?


	18. Rainbow

Author's Note: Hi! Junior year of college might actually be the death of me, so please be patient as updates might take awhile! That being said, thank you so much to everyone who has supported this story so far! It means the world to me! I don't know why but I had the urge to write this chapter about Manami's parents. This is a moment that takes place in the between Manami's parents: Chinami Terumi and Kaito. Please let me know what you think and review!

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto. Manami Terumi is my character.

* * *

Rainbow

"You'll only make it worse. Let me help you." A smooth, calm voice came from Chinami's left.

 _This idiot again,_ She thought as she dragged her gaze to the medic ninja sitting near the fire. His name was Kaito, orphaned from the last Great Shinobi War. His records indicated that he graduated from the academy at the age of six, which is just one year older than she was when she graduated, and from there, moved up the ranks at an impressive rate.

 _He shouldn't even be on this mission,_ she thought though deep down, a part of her knew that without him, things would have turned out a lot worse. It was supposed to be a simple mission, well as simple as missions assigned to Kirigakure's most notorious assassin could be, but the client had specifically requested that Lord Yagura send a three man team, regardless of the Mizuakge's insistence that Chinami alone would be enough.

And she would have been.

Except the client was offering triple what the usual cost for the assassination would be, and it was an amount Lord Yagura could not pass up. That was exactly how Chinami Terumi found herself waiting by the gates with Kaito and some other jonin whose name she couldn't be bothered to remember.

And that was also how she got injured on a mission for the first time in… ever.

If she was in a generous mood, which she was not, she would admit that it wasn't entirely Kaito's fault (which it wasn't) but since he was currently looking at her like she was some soft genin from the Hidden Leaf village, she chose to direct her agitation towards him instead.

In reality, the reason why they were delayed in returning to the Hidden Mist was because of the injured jonin lying on a makeshift bed that Chinami had reluctantly constructed for him. Unlike Kaito, who she had heard about, this jonin was completely unknown to her and now she knew why. From the second they met, Chinami could practically see the arrogance and self assurance reeking off of him, and she was correct when he was hit with a poisoned kunai on their way back after a successful assassination of a feudal lord (which of course, she did the killing). If Chinami had to guess, Lord Yagura had randomly selected him for the sake of creating a three man team to appease the client. She made a mental note to describe in vivid detail why he should never be allowed on a mission with her again.

Chinami bit back a curse as she remembered the events that took place after. Naturally, she had immediately killed the lone assassin but not before he got a good punch aimed at her shoulder while she was focusing on blocking his katana, which most likely was also coated with poison. In the meantime, Kaito had expertly accessed the wound and removed the poison using what she knew was advanced medical ninjutsu. She hated to admit it, but she was impressed.

However, her admiration quickly turned to annoyance when Kaito informed _her_ that they would be forced to find shelter for the night in order to ensure their comrade's full recovery. Chinami remembered the itch she had to pull out a kunai and stab him. Despite his proficiency, she was sure it wouldn't be a massive loss to the Kirigakure, however she knew Lord Yagura would be slightly displeased if she returned home without any of her comrades.

So Chinami stood over the sedated jonin, nonchalantly examining her fingernails as Kaito went off to search for shelter. She pretended to make a serious attempt at scanning the area for traps as Kaito hauled the idiotic jonin into the cave, which Chinami made no effort to help.

Kaito shot her a glare which she quickly returned, ignoring the thrill that came with being challenged. It was common information in the shinobi world that Chinami Terumi was a demon in every sense of the word and as a result, she never experienced any protest with her decisions. Everyone was simply too scared of her, well almost everyone… it appeared that Kaito was the exception, for now at least.

"I don't need your help," Chinami said, grinding her teeth as she glanced at the navy haired jonin. Her fingers twitched again, desperate to grab a kunai and rid herself of his company. It would be so easy and it was so tempting… she could make it quick and painless but something stopped her, which only served to increase her frustration.

Kaito gave her a meaningful glance and began to say something before stopping himself and returned his gaze to the fire.

 _Good,_ Chinami thought, _Don't say another word._

"Miura-san should be strong enough to travel back to Kirigakure tomorrow." Kaito added, completely ignoring the spike in Chinami's chakra, and instead shot her a pleasant smile.

"Wonderful." Chinami said, her voice dripping with sarcasm. Ignoring her tone, Kaito gave her another smile before holding out a water canteen for her.

"You should get some rest, I'll take the first watch." Kaito said, changing the subject.

Chinami scowled at his attempt at controlling their circumstances, "I'm not tired. I'll take the first watch." Seeing his obvious hesitation, she added "You're more than welcome to stay awake though."

Kaito frowned, brows pinched as he accessed her. It seems that he didn't trust her as much as he let on. Though she could hardly blame him, and to be fair, she didn't trust him either.

"We're not that far behind schedule, in fact we still have days before we're due back in the Hidden Mist." Kaito said, attempting once again to shift the conversation.

Chinami had finally run out of what little patience she had, snapping in a sharp tone "I love being early, why don't I just kill you both right now and make my way back towards Kirigakure?"

Much to her agitation, Kaito let out a small chuckle "You're not as bad as everyone says you are, Chinami-san."

She raised a brow, "And what were you expecting, Kaito-san?"

He leaned close enough that she could make out the ember specs in his brown eyes. In a smooth voice that one would use to calm prey before they were killed, he said "I expected you to kill me and Miura-san a few seconds after we left the village gates."

They locked eyes for a few more moments before Kaito turned away and leaned back. Chinami mimicked him all the while thinking that this mission was starting to get a lot more interesting. Despite his calm demeanor, it was clear that the navy haired jonin was preparing for her to attack him, and rightly so. Chinami still felt the urge to pull out a kunai and finish them both. Miura would be easy and while Kaito proved to be skilled, she had no doubt he would put up a good fight but she highly doubted she would lose. Afterall, she was Chinami Terumi.

But instead of reaching for a weapon, Chinami folded her fingers together, resting her head between her knuckles and gaze at the slowly dying flames in front of her. Aside from the crackling wood, Chinami would hear the storm raging outside.

Years later, she still wondered what stopped her from leaving the tiny cave and the two shinobi in it. She would never get her answer. The closest she ever got to understanding why was when she looked into her daughter's bright emerald eyes, an image Chinami held close to her even as she took her last breath.

It turned out the only shinobi who got any sleep that night was Miura-san. Both Kaito and Chinami had taken brief breaks closing their eyes but still remained alert. By the time morning had come, Chinami was adamant that they head back to Kirigakure, with or without their third member. Thankfully, Miura-san was strong enough to make the journey home and a few hours after sunrise, the three left the cave, heading towards Kirigakure.

The ground was soaked from last night's storm and dew hung from the trees but as Chinami looked up, she saw the most beautiful rainbow painted in the sky.

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Author's Note: Wow, this story took a very LONG time to write but I hope you enjoyed it nonetheless! Thank you so much for being patient with me! Please review and let me know what you think of Manami's parents!


	19. Gray

Author's Note: Hi everyone! I hope you're doing well! Here's an update for all you lovely people! It's a little shorter than I would have liked but I hope you enjoy! Please make sure to review and let me know what you think!

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto. Manami Terumi is my character.

* * *

Gray

Itachi Uchiha felt his eye twitch as he took in the scene in front of him.

For the sake of everything good and important in the Five Great Shinobi Nations it was three in the _morning_. Normally, Itachi wouldn't mind being awake this early but he had been away for months of an S-class mission and had only returned home last night. To say he was exhausted and in no way, shape, or form in the mood to deal with Shisui's antics was an understatement.

The only thing he wanted when he walked through the village gates a few hours before dawn was to hand in his mission report and head straight to bed. His somewhat completed his goal, seeing as handing his mission report to Lord Hokage was a success and he did manage to get home before getting into bed for a total of thirty minutes before he was jolted by someone frantically banging on his front door.

Normally, Itachi would worry the noise would wake up the other members of his family, namely Sasuke, but Itachi had moved out of his family's home (much to Sasuke's disappointment) and into his own place a few months ago. Aside from living away from them, Itachi still are regularly with his family and trained with Sasuke whenever he had the time.

Despite his love for his family, Itachi would be lying if he said he didn't enjoy the peace living alone provided him. Itachi sighed as he thought living alone would prevent early intrucisions that were not work related but it appeared that he was wrong.

He briefly contemplated ignoring whoever was at the door but his instincts forced him out of bed and into the hallway.

Itachi would later remember regard his decision to open the front door as one of his biggest regrets as he stared into Shisui Uchiha's frantic eyes before turning his head to the right where Manami Terumi stood.

Their eyes met and they shared a common thought: Itachi shouldn't have answered the door.

Shisui, however, was completely oblivious to Itachi and Manami's despair as he stormed into Itachi's neat home and plopped himself dramatically on Itachi's modest coach as he buried his face in his hands. Shisui dug his fingers in his hair as he let out a loud groan.

Itachi stared at his distressed friend before turning to the auburn haired woman who looked completely unamused at the older Uchiha's antics.

Shisui's meltdown continued for another five minutes before Manami lost her temper and gave Shisui a strong whack on the back of his head.

Shisui startled before putting his hands up defensively while Itachi watched with a blank expression. Manami glared at the curly haired Uchiha for a few more seconds before crossing her arms and turning towards Itachi with a look that said 'It's your turn to deal with it."

When Itachi looked at her with a blank look, Manami let out a growl of frustration and both Uchiha's shivered, it was clear the Terumi's temper was not to be messed with.

" _You,_ " Manami said, fixing her gaze on Itachi, "Tell _him,_ it's not a big deal." She said, pointing at Itachi.

When Itachi didn't say anything, Manami snarled, ready to kill both Uchihas.

Sensing immediate death would occur if action wasn't taken, Shisui said in a hopeless voice "Itachi… it happened."

By this point, Itachi could not be any more confused, but since an angry Manami stood a few inches away from him and he desperately wanted to go back to bed, he ventured a question, "What happened?"

Shisui let out a wail and leaned back dramatically before pointed at his head.

"THIS HAPPENED!" He screamed causing both Manami and Itachi to wince.

Itachi walked closer to examine what his friend was referring to but couldn't find anything that would cause such alarm.

Itachi looked at Shisui, silently questioning him while all Shisui did was look at Itachi with despair.

Manami finally lost her temper and as she threw her hands up in frustration before yelling, "Shisui Uchiha! It's just a few strands of gray hair! It's not the end of the world! In fact, I think it makes you look more attractive!"

Shisui's face instantly brightened, "Really? Well now that you mention it, I do rock gray hair."

Both Manami and Itachi let out collective groans at the older Uchiha's antics.

* * *

Itachi gave the couple a small wave as he ushered them out of his house. With every step, Itachi felt exhaustion pull at him to get back to bed, which was exactly what he was intending to do. Just as he was turning away from the door, he heard a knock.

Itachi groaned. He never groaned.

Regardless of his instinct, he turned around and opened the door.

It was Sasuke.

It suddenly hit Itachi that it was morning. Manami and Shisui had been over for hours.

Itachi closed his eyes before taking a very long deep breath before closing the door behind him and heading towards the training fields with Sasuke.

* * *

Author's Note: Awww isn't Itachi the greatest friend and brother? I had a lot of fun writing this chapter and I hope you had fun reading it! Please review!


	20. Fortitude

Author's Note: Hi everyone! I hope you're doing well! Here's an update for all you lovely people! Please make sure to review and let me know what you think!

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto. Manami Terumi is my character.

* * *

Fortitude

"It's a lot of everything really, but what can I really do about it? What can any of us do?" Shisui said as he looked up at the stars. Manami rested her head on his chest as he ran his fingers through her hair.

 _It was quite ironic,_ Manami thought as the very hands that have performed countless jutsu that have ended lives, was currently entangled in her hair and in the process of lulling her to sleep.

"Shisui-kun," She said as she bit back a sigh, "How many times do I have to tell you that you don't have to take on the weight of the world by yourself? Just because you're a skilled shinobi doesn't mean you're not a person. I wish you would stop torturing yourself for things that are out of your control." Manami told him as she placed a gentle hand on his cheek. Shisui instinctively leaned into her touch before shifting his head slightly to place a kiss onto her palm.

"I know, Manami-chan, I know." Shisui responded before he moved to gently nuzzle her neck.

Manami allowed herself a moment to believe his words before turning to face him, "It's the council again isn't? They're forcing you to marry?" She posed it as a question but they both already knew the answer.

For what feels like years, a heavy silence hangs in the air between them.

"I'm not going to let anything come between us, Manami-chan. I promise you that." Shisui said in a determined tone.

She knew he was determined to be with her, just like she knew the elders of the Uchiha clan would do anything and everything in their power to ensure that Shisui marry someone inside of the clan. Manami also knew that Aunt Mei would cover the entire Uchiha compound in lava if Shisui hurt Manami.

She offered him a small smile, before dropping her facade, "I would let you go." She whispered and she meant it. She would do anything if it was for Shisui's own good, regardless of the pain it would cause her.

In the blink of an eye, Shisui pulled her up and cupped her face between his hands. Her breath left her when she saw the intensity in his eyes.

"That's too bad, Manami-chan, because I will never let you go." He whispered, as the words flowed through the calm night, and the stars continue to shine, solidifying the legendary Uchiha's vow, his oath, to the emerald eyed kunoichi from Kirigakure.

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Author's Note: Wow! We're officially 20% of the way through this story! Thank you so much to everyone who has stuck around this long and have followed, favorited, and reviewed this story! I really can't begin to tell you how much it means to me and how reading the comments really brightens up by day! To be completely honest, 2019 was rough but I'm determined to make 2020 the best year yet! I hope you stick around for more Manami and Shisui moments, and thank you for reading!


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